Abstract
Prescription medications are an important yet potentially hazardous part of outpatient treatment. Safe and effective use requires users to understand and follow instructions and heed warnings. Many pharmacies now provide customers with information sheets describing proper prescription use and precautions. These instructions are generally accurate but often not user-friendly. Human factors research suggested physical, cognitive, and organizational features that might enhance usability. In Study 1, we assessed sheets currently in use and then designed human factored information sheets that complied with recommendations from past research. In Study 2, human factored sheets for two medications were compared with a typical commercial version. Participants read a sheet of each type and referred to it while answering questions about the medication described. Read times and test times were significantly faster for the human factored sheets. Accuracy was significantly better. Participants overwhelmingly preferred the human factored sheets. This demonstrates the power of human factors to provide low cost solutions to potential health hazards.
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