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The medicines management pathway describes the cognitive and physical steps involved in the use of medicines, with a focus on the consumer. There are 9 steps and 3 background processes. The steps and processes are interdependent and influence each other. Documentation of the pathway provides a framework to identify how the steps are related, the potential for any errors and safety system improvements. The pathway is applicable to all medicines, independent of the setting, health professionals involved and funding source. An understanding of the pathway and human factors associated with each step are necessary to ensure safe, effective and efficient use of medicines. The pathway can assist consumers and health professionals to understand their role and how their actions can improve medicine safety. Hospital pharmacists have an established role at all steps. With more professional services being offered via community and other pharmacy practice settings, the medicines management pathway concept will play an increasingly greater role across the continuum of care.

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The possibility that Stroop and Simon effects reflect the same cognitive processes was tested in 3 experiments with 62 adult Ss. The words LEFT and RIGHT were shown left and right of screen center. Similar levels of interference were found for a Simon task (keypress to meaning of word) and a spatial Stroop task (name its location). A reverse Simon task (keypress to word location) showed minimal interference from the irrelevant word, but in a reverse spatial Stroop task (read the word aloud) interference from the irrelevant location was sizable. This poses difficulty for translational accounts of Stroop interference. Presenting LEFT and RIGHT laterally balanced by a color-name foil yielded a Simon effect inconsistent with an orienting response hypothesis. With bilateral stimuli in a reverse Simon task, interference was marked, supporting an integrative account of Stroop and Simon effects in terms of cognitive activation and the salience of irrelevant stimuli.

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