Package Design Affects Accuracy Recognition for Medications

Objective:Our aim was to test if highlighting and placement of substance name on medication package have the potential to reduce patient errors.Background:An unintentional overdose of medication is a large health issue that might be linked to medication package design. In two experiments, placement, background color, and the active ingredient of generic medication packages were manipulated according to best human factors guidelines to reduce causes of labeling-related patient errors.Method:In two experiments, we compared the original packaging with packages where we varied placement of the name, dose, and background of the active ingredient. Age-relevant differences and the effect of color on medication recognition error were tested. In Experiment 1, 59 volunteers (30 elderly and 29 young students), participated. In Experiment 2, 25 volunteers participated.Results:The most common error was the inability to identify that two different packages contained the same active ingredient (young, 41%, and elderly, ...