A Comparison of Older vs. Newer Over-the-Counter (OTC) Nonprescription Drug Labels on Search Time Accuracy

Abstract

The present study evaluated response time and accuracy to answer a series of questions of information in 16 (8 older and 8 newer 'Drug Facts') over-the-counter (OTC) drug labels. The newer labels include aspects,. based on previous research, which should benefit performance. The results indicated that participant's response times were significantly faster with the newer labels compared to the older ones. However, this was not true of all OTC product samples. Accuracy was high (error rate low) for both label formats. Response times for females were significantly faster than males for both label types. The benefits of formatting text for facilitating information acquisition from drug labels and other kinds of printed information are discussed.

‘It's all there in black and white’ – or is it? Consumer perspectives on the proposed Australian Medicine Information Box over‐the‐counter label format

“…However, overall, most participants positively received OTC label standardization as a potential labelling strategy. Thus, standardization has the potential to meet consumer OTC medicine information needs and improve OTC label quality, as demonstrated by previous testing of the U.S. Drug Facts label format and in particular for younger consumers . Despite promising evidence for standardization, conveying information using the Drug Facts label format does not completely safeguard against consumer misunderstanding of critical OTC medicine information .…”

“…Different regulatory environments have explored various strategies to improve OTC labelling quality for consumers, such as the recommendation for 'user testing' in OTC label development and testing as part of the Labelling Code of Practice in Australia, 19 and the standardization of OTC labels in the United States (U.S.) with the Drug Facts label format. 20 Two large-scale studies, that explored consumer preferences and testing of the Drug Facts label format versus older OTC labels, supported the legislation of OTC label standardization in the U.S. 20 The Drug Facts label format appeared to improve the time taken for consumers to locate information [20][21][22] in comparison with older OTC labels.…”

“…Two large‐scale studies, that explored consumer preferences and testing of the Drug Facts label format versus older OTC labels, supported the legislation of OTC label standardization in the U.S . The Drug Facts label format appeared to improve the time taken for consumers to locate information in comparison with older OTC labels.…”

Consumer Opinions on Existing and Proposed Australian Over-the-Counter Medicine Labeling Strategies in Comparison With the Standardized US Drug Facts Label

“…When examining research conducted in relation to the Drug Facts label, whilst evidence suggests that it was an improvement on label formats available around the time of its proposal, some evaluations 8,9 were conducted post introduction. Unsurprisingly, issues pertinent to potentially reduced OTC label quality still exist post-implementation of the Drug Facts label, 30,31 highlighting the critical role of post-implementation evaluation, in conjunction with thorough pre-implementation needs analysis and performance testing.…”

“…7 Other studies have also noted an improved time taken to find information when using the Drug Facts label compared to older label formats. 8,9 In contrast to the U.S., OTC labels are not standardised in Australia. 10 Despite this, standardisation of written medicine information in Australia is not unknown, as leaflets known as Consumer Medicine Information are available in a standardised format and are mandatory for both prescription and pharmacist only OTC medicines.…”