Barcodes reduce errors, study shows
Use of barcode technology can reduce dispensing
errors |
Implementing barcode technology reduces dispensing errors and adverse
drug events, according to research carried out at a large teaching hospital
in the US. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2006;145:426–34),
measured the occurrence of the type of dispensing errors and potential
ADEs that barcode technology would
be expected to address (including “wrong medicine”, “wrong
strength” or dispensing a medicine past its expiry date), before
its introduction and after three different systems were implemented.
Barcodes were added to each dose of medicine (ie, individual tablet or
ampoule) if not already added by the manufacturer. For the first system,
the barcode of each batch of medicines was scanned as they were stocked
into a unit-dose retrieval system. Retrieval was machine-directed and
only one dose per batch was scanned after retrieval, before administration
to the patient. For the second system, there was manual stocking and
retrieval, but each individual dose was scanned before administration.
The third system also involved manual stocking and retrieval, but with
only one dose per batch being scanned before administration.
The dispensing error rate reduced by 93 and 96 per cent, respectively,
for the first two systems, and the potential ADE rate reduced by 86 and
97 per cent, respectively. For the third system, the dispensing error
rate reduced by 60 per cent but the potential ADE rate increased (2.4-fold).
The authors conclude that barcoding technology can increase patient safety,
but only if configured in certain ways. They warn against implementation
of unevaluated technology.
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Hospital Pharmacist