Name	Used For	Instructions	Morning	Afternoon	Evening	Night
Insulin 70/30	Diabetes (Sugar)	Inject 24 units before breakfast and 12 units before dinner

Step 4: Add Pictures of the Medicine

Using the pill image templates, copy and paste the correct shape for each medicine into the “Name” and time of day columns as shown below. Color each shape to represent the color of the pill. For example, we used the circle shape and colored it light orange for Sarah’s simvastatin, and inserted this drawing into the “Name” and “Night” columns for simvastatin.

Make sure the number of pills in the column corresponds to the number of pills that should be taken at that time of day. For example, since Sarah takes her furosemide twice a day, two pills each time, we put two drawings of each of those pills in the “Morning” column and two in the “Evening” column.

If you are including multiple pills with similar shape or color, you can write in any markings on the pill to help distinguish one pill from another.

Step 4:

Name	Used For	Instructions	Morning	Afternoon	Evening	Night

Now all of Sarah’s medicines and instructions are on the card. This provides an easy reference for her to remember each of her medicines, what she takes them for, when she takes them, and how many she takes at a time.

Because the card is intended to be very simple and include only the most important information, it should be used in conjunction with the other medicine information provided by a doctor or pharmacy. For example, if Sarah wants to know the possible side effects of her simvastatin, she will need to check the information leaflet that came with her medicine.

Step 5: Print the Card

Print the card on a color printer, preferably on a heavy-weight paper that will not be easily lost or damaged.

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Using a Personalized Pill Card

Sarah can easily see all of the important information about her medicines on her pill card. She can:

• Hang this card on her refrigerator or keep it with her medicines.
• Bring the card with her the next time she visits her doctor, in case she wants to ask a question about one of her medicines, or if she has trouble keeping them straight.
• Take the card with her if she travels somewhere, to help her keep track of her medicines while she’s away from home.

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Pill Card Template

Name	Used For	Instructions	Morning	Afternoon	Evening	Night

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Common Pill Shapes

Use these shapes to represent each of the pills that you are including on the pill card. Shapes are included for whole and half pills. You will need to copy the shape that you need and paste it onto the pill card. You will then need to color the shape to match the color of the actual pill. You can do this by double-clicking on the shape to bring up the Format AutoShape box. In the Colors and Lines tab under Fill, click on the Color drop-down menu to choose the appropriate color. You may also color in the shapes by hand after printing out the card.

Rounded rectangle

Round pill

Diamond pill

Oval pill

Two-tone capsule

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Common Images for Medication Uses

Heart

Blood Pressure

Diabetes/Sugar

Pain

For more information about development and use of an illustrated medicine card such as this pill card in a patient population, consult the following reference:

Kripalani S, Robertson R, Love-Ghaffari MH, et al. Development of an illustrated medication schedule as a low-literacy patient education tool. Patient Education and Counseling 2007;66:368-77.

Internet Citation:

How to Create a Pill Card. AHRQ Publication No. 08-M016, February 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pillcard/pillcard.htm