The study involved 80 participants, consisting of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, technicians and lay people. All participants were administered a number of tests to assess their sensory perceptions and short-term memory regarding look-alike and sound-alike drug name pairs like hydroxyzine and hydralazine. The test error rates were able to significantly predict actual medication errors across two pharmacy chains.
The authors conclude, “Regulators and drug companies seeking a validated preapproval method for identifying confusing drug names ought to consider using these simple tests. By using a standard battery of memory and perception tests, it should be possible to reduce the number of confusing look-alike and sound-alike drug name pairs that reach the market, which will help protect patients from potentially harmful medication errors.”
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