SynthesisSystematic reviews2024
Evaluation of the design and structure of electronic medication labels to improve patient health knowledge and safety: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- The role of pictograms in improving patients' medication adherence: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Regulatory Readiness for Paper Replacement in Global Pharmaceutical Electronic Labeling: Cross-Sectional Comparative Policy Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Improving medication information systems utilizing a universal design framework.PEC innovation · 2025Article
- Evidence-Based Design of Prescription Medication Information: An Updated Scoping Review.Drug safety · 2025Article
- Pharmacist-led surgical medicines prescription optimization and prediction service improves patient outcomes - a machine learning based study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPatient 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.
objectivesTo review comparative studies that have evaluated the design of a medication label to improve patient knowledge or safety.
methodsStudies 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.
resultsOf 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.
conclusionIt 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/ ).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.