Evaluation of the design and structure of electronic medication labels to improve patient health knowledge and safety: a systematic review

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Patient misunderstanding of instructions on medication labels is a common cause of medication errors and can result in ineffective treatment. One way to better improve patient comprehension of medication labels is by optimizing the content and display of the information. Objectives To review comparative studies that have evaluated the design of a medication label to improve patient knowledge or safety. Methods Studies were selected from systematic computerized literature searches performed in PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), Cochrane Central (EBSCO), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature-CINAHL (EBSCO), and Web of Science (Thomson Reuters). Eligible studies included comparative studies that evaluated the design of a medication label to improve patient knowledge or safety. Results Of the 246 articles identified in the primary literature search, 14 studies were selected for data abstraction. Thirteen of these studies significantly impacted the patient understanding of medication labels. Three studies included a measure of patient safety in terms of medication adherence and dosing errors. The utilization of patient-centered language, pictograms/graphics, color/white space, or font optimization was seen to have the most impact on patient comprehension. Conclusion It is essential to present medication information in an optimal manner for patients. This can be done by standardizing the content, display, and format of medication labels to improve understanding and medication usage. Evidence-based design principles can, therefore, be used to facilitate the standardization of the structure of label content for both print and electronic devices. However, more research needs to be done on validating the implications of label content display to measure its impact on patient safety. Systemic review registration PROSPERO CRD42022347510 ( http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ).