Accuracy and usability of medication identifiers for solid oral medications

Abstract

Background A comprehensive, contemporary evaluation of medication identifiers is necessary to keep up with the fast‐paced mobile and web‐based technology used by health care professionals and patients in order to safely identify and use oral medications. Prior studies evaluating the accuracy of medication identifiers are dated, with the most recent solely examining imprints of oral medications. Objective To compare the accuracy of different medication identifiers, and to identify and quantify ease of use between lay and professional medication identifiers. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 202 randomly selected oral medications, comparing the results of 14 lay and professional medication identifiers with reference standard‐identified medications. Investigators conducted three different searches for each medication using a standardized search methodology, including each medication's imprint, shape, color, scoring, and dosage form. Results Ident‐A‐Drug, http://drugs.com, Facts & Comparisons, and web‐based Lexicomp were the four most accurate identifiers at 98%, 97.5%, 96.5%, and 96.5%, respectively. Web‐based identifiers correctly identified more medications compared with mobile‐based identifiers (93.2% vs 80.6%, P <0.001). http://drugs.com displayed the medication as the first result most often (96%), followed by Facts & Comparisons (95%). http://drugs.com found the medication on the first search most frequently (97%). Searches without color were more accurate than with color (P <0.001). The most user‐friendly identifiers were Facts & Comparisons, http://drugs.com, Epocrates Mobile, and Lexicomp Mobile. Conclusion http://drugs.com, Facts & Comparisons, and Lexicomp (web and mobile) were determined to be the most accurate and easy‐to‐use medication identifiers. Searching without color was more accurate than searching with color.