Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) which accompany medicinal products and inform patients about what the drug is used for, dosage, side effects, etc., are known as the most important source of information about a medication that users have access to (Bjerrum & Foged, 2003) and a tool which empowers patients and people to be more involved in making decisions related to their medications and health. In recent years, policy makers in different countries have paid much attention to the importance of PILs. In Switzerland, PIL is a mandatory and legally regulated genre, which must be written in three languages German, French, and Italian. Providing English PILs is not required as English is not the official language of the country. However, published statistics by Swiss government concerning English speaker population emphasize a new perspective. The present study sought to investigate the necessity of including English translation in PILs in Switzerland. To achieve the objectives of the study, official website of Federal Statistical Office (FSO) was consulted and related statistics were gathered and analysed. Based on the analysis, several observations were presented, which demonstrated the importance of accessibility of health information for all members of society.

Bjerrum, L., & Foged, A. (2003). Patient information leaflets-helpful guidance or a source of confusion? Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 12(1), 55-59.