Color, text changes on medication packaging reduce error rates

Researchers are attempting to minimize errors caused by confusing labels on over-the-counter medications by incorporating changes in fonts and text colors. The team was able to drop error rates from 68 percent to 16 percent in elderly patients.

Medication errors, usually in a patient’s home, occur 1.5 million times a year. These potentially dangerous errors include simple misunderstandings of over-the-counter medications. Researchers have tested different designs on medication bottles to see if adding a little color and changing the font can make a difference in mediation errors.

“Although human factors guidelines for the design of medication packages exist, they do not ensure that patients are receiving consistent information about the medicine they take,” said Tor Endestad, an associate professor at the University of Oslo in Norway. “We were surprised by the variation and inconsistency of the drug information presented on medication packages and decided to manipulate design elements to evaluate whether that could reduce the risk of labeling-related user errors."

To reduce medication errors from confusing labeling, researchers tested 84 participants, ages 18 to 86, on error rates when viewing different variations of an over-the-counter prescription. Each participant was tested on conventional medication packaging versus redesigned packaging with a smaller brand name, different placements of active ingredients and dosage information, and the inclusion of colors on the labeling.

Error rates were high in both groups for the conventional packaging, with 41 percent of younger users and 68 percent of older users making an error. With the redesigned packaging, error rates fell to 8 percent in younger users and 16 percent for older users. By moving certain information and adding come color, the researchers found participants were able to recall important information quickly and accurately.

"Our study found an enormous potential for patients to believe that they are taking two different medications, when in fact they're taking a double dose of the same one," adds Endestad. "A simple redesign of medication package labels to highlight the name and dosage of the active ingredient on a high-contrast background reduces the probability of user errors."