Improving Accuracy in Simulated Pharmacy Assembly Tasks Using Workspace Interventions to Enhance the Cognitive Environment

In this study, the error-reducing effectiveness of two work-environment interventions was examined in a simulated pharmacy task. 110 participants worked for 3 to 4 hours filling approximately 110 orders for simulated drugs in a laboratory-based, controlled environment. One group of participants used a monitor-mounted copy strip to enhance data entry, and another group used the copy strips as well as labeled product sleeves on stock bottles to enhance product selection. Results indicated that participants who worked using copy strips as well as participants who worked using both copy strips and product sleeves were more accurate in their order-filling performance than participants in the control condition. However, participants in the copy strip and the copy strip/sleeve conditions did not differ from one another in accuracy. Further research ideas and potential explanations of these data are discussed.