Medication Label Initiative Phase 4: Easier to Understand Directions on Prescription Medication Labels

WHL works with healthcare administrators, health information technology professionals, pharmacists, and prescribers in Wisconsin to improve adoption of clear and explicit medication directions for patients, including Universal Medication Schedule (UMS) directions. UMS directions use health literacy best practices such as explicit ‘morning’, ‘noon’, ‘evening’, and ‘bedtime’ frequencies and numerals instead of spelled out numbers. UMS directions help patients take their medication correctly and consistently.

Healthcare organizations interested in adopting UMS directions should contact Bhumi Khambholja bhumi@wisconsinliteracy.org or Stan Hudson stan@wisconsinliteracy.org.

See our toolkit on implementation of UMS directions in health systems for additional information. 

Informational Resources:

About UMS Directions Video

UMS Information Sheet

Medication Label Initiative Video (featuring a pharmacist and physician talking about the importance of this work)

Clearer Medication Directions for Patients Information Sheet (for prescribers and pharmacies)

Project Background:

Phase 4 of WHL's Medication Label Initiative called 'Reducing medication errors: Adopting evidence-based directions for use on prescription labels' started July 2021. This phase focuses on making the directions on prescription labels less confusing. The project is funded by the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment based at the Medical College of Wisconsin. 

Project Partners:
WHL in conjunction with their academic partners, Dr. Kenneth Schellhase, MD, MPH and Dr. George Mackinnon, PhD, MS, RPh, FASHP at the Medical College of Wisconsin lead the project.

Additional partners include:  
Epic Systems, Wisconsin Medical Society, Wisconsin Hospital Association, Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, Advocate Aurora Health Care, UW Health, and UW-Madison School of Pharmacy.