HEALTHCARE & ACCREDITATION · ICORP
Look-alike, sound-alike medicines: redesign the selection pathway
Review packaging, storage and selection screens rather than relying on memory.
LASA is more than similar names
WHO describes confusion involving medicine names and visual features such as packaging, shape, colour and size. It can occur between brand names, generic names, or both. [1] A purchasing list alone may therefore miss what staff encounter when selecting a product.
Examine the surroundings
NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service identifies medicine, labeling, storage, lighting, noise and people factors in medication errors. [2] MHRA advises contacting the prescriber if the intended medicine is uncertain. [3] A useful response examines the system rather than simply asking staff to be more careful.
An ICORP implementation proposal
Ask pharmacy and frontline teams to review products actually in use, tracing receipt, storage, electronic selection, dispensing and administration. Test separation or clearer identification where the local assessment supports it. Revisit the review when suppliers or packaging change. Do not make colour or a warning label the only safeguard.
Learn from intercepted errors
Suggested monitoring includes wrong selections caught before dispensing, repeatedly confused pairs and steps requiring frequent clarification. Ask users whether warnings are readable and useful. These are design proposals, not an exhaustive LASA list or a promise that errors can be eliminated. Product-specific safeguards remain a clinical and pharmacy responsibility.
For learning and quality improvement. This article synthesizes the references below. Practical suggestions are editorial proposals to adapt to local policies and context. It is not an official interpretation of JCI/HA requirements or guidance for treating an individual patient.
References
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