Need for Standardized Imprint Codes to Identify Medications—Results of a USP Survey among Healthcare Practitioners

A standardized imprint code is a unique, alphanumeric code that all manufacturers of the same product would affix to each tablet or capsule. Such a code can potentially enhance practitioners' and consumers' ability to readily identify and safely use medications. To help assess the need for standardized imprint codes, USP conducted a survey among healthcare professionals. Respondents were asked about their experiences in identifying unlabeled prescription and over-the-counter tablets and capsules and also were required to rate the current imprint coding approach to identification versus two alternative approaches.

Current and alternative approaches to imprint coding
USP survey results—summary
USP survey results—detailed