Safety and efficiency of a new generic package labelling: a before and after study in a simulated setting.
Look-alike and sound-alike medications can be erroneously substituted for each other, leading to adverse drug events. Use of nonproprietary medication names can prevent look-alike and sound-alike errors. In this simulation study, investigators compared how nurses handle medication packages with a prominent nonproprietary name versus standard medication packages. Participants prepared medications with nonproprietary labeling more quickly, but errors were rare across all packaging types.