Which safety feature should a pharmacy technician use to distinguish between medications with similar names?

Using tall man lettering is a recommended safety feature in pharmacies to help distinguish between medications with similar names. This technique emphasizes the differences in look-alike, sound-alike medications by capitalizing parts of the names that are dissimilar. For example, "predniSONE" and "predniSONE" would allow pharmacists and technicians to quickly recognize and differentiate between these two compounds, thereby reducing the risk of medication errors.

While electronic prescribing can enhance safety by reducing handwriting errors and minimizing communication issues, it does not specifically address the visual similarity of medication names. Drug utilization review (DUR) warning screens aid in identifying potential drug interactions and other issues, but their primary function is not to differentiate similarly named drugs. Medication therapy management (MTM) focuses on optimizing therapeutic outcomes for patients through comprehensive reviews and consultations rather than distinguishing between medications. Hence, tall man lettering is the most effective and widely accepted method for avoiding confusion caused by similar medication names.