AR vs. physical displays: Pharmacists’ performance in identifying look-alike drug names

Abstract

Similar drug name confusion poses a significant risk in pharmacy practice, leading to medication errors with serious consequences. This study investigates pharmacists’ performance in recognizing look-alike drug names using an augmented reality (AR) virtual display versus a physical liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor. The influence of prior AR experience on performance was also examined. Twenty licensed pharmacists participated, performing recognition tasks on similar drug name pairs, with performance measured by accuracy rate, response time, fixation duration, and total fixation count. Results indicate that participants achieved an accuracy rate exceeding 96 % across all conditions, with overall accuracy slightly higher in the physical monitor environment. The AR display enabled task completion with significantly fewer total fixations compared to the physical monitor (p < 0.05). Additionally, participants with prior AR experience exhibited faster response times and shorter fixation durations in the AR environment. There were interactions between environment and prior AR experience for response time and fixation duration, suggesting that performance across environments varied depending on user familiarity. While physical and AR displays each present unique advantages and limitations, these findings underscore the importance of user familiarity in adapting to emerging technologies in pharmacy practice.