This strategy consists of using elastic bands to help patients understand the doses of medication needed. It is useful when a patient needs to take two similarly packaged medications at different doses.

For example, two elastic bands can be attached to a bottle of eyedrops to signify that they should be used twice a day. This can be discussed on a 1-1 basis between the pharmacist and the patient.

This strategy can be used when medication packaging does not provide braille or for patients who do not read braille. According to the RNIB: “Fewer than 1% of the two million visually impaired people in the UK are users of Braille” (citation needed).

Suitable for Medication too small for a large print label, or packaged in ways that make their labels difficult for screen readers.

Patients with XXX type of visual condition.

Points to Note It may be useful to sellotape over the elastic bands to keep them in place throughout use of the medication. It is particularly important to ensure that multiple bands can’t slide together so that they feel like one band.

It may be useful to e-mail the patient with a reminder of what the number of elastic bands means (e.g. twice a day versus twice a week).

Combine With N/A