Eye-Tracking Analysis of Pharmacists to Improve Prescription Audit Efficiency

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize pharmacists’ visual information-processing patterns during prescription audits by analyzing gaze movements using an eye-tracking system. Two display methods for drug dose and usage were compared: Set phrase displays and Numerical table displays. Twenty-two pharmacists performed prescription audit tasks using four model pairs with different levels of complexity, and gaze points, vertical gaze movements, and verification time were analyzed. The total number of gaze points in the three zones and the verification time were significantly lower for Numerical table displays than for Set phrase displays. Specifically, a comparison across the individual zones (drug name, drug dose and usage, and dose period) revealed that switching from the Set phrase to the Numerical table displays decreased gaze points for drug dose and usage, while increasing them for the drug name. These findings indicate that Numerical table displays may reduce pharmacists’ visual burden and improve the efficiency of prescription audits by supporting the redistribution of visual attention across relevant prescription information. Further studies are needed to determine whether this improved efficiency contributes to safety-related outcomes in actual prescription audits.