Improved control of medication use with an integrated bar-code-packaging and distribution system

Abstract

The U.S. health care system has been under intense scrutiny because of a perceived lack of quality and unacceptably high error rates.1,–3 The application of technology to prevent errors has become a major emphasis in quality improvement programs. The Committee on the Quality of Healthcare in America identified health information technology (HIT) as one of the four primary methods for improving health care quality.3 Other influential entities, such as the Leapfrog Group, have also supported HIT as a means of improving quality. Despite the efforts of such groups, the implementation of HIT has, so far, been slow. For instance, a recent survey indicated that bar-code medication administration (BCMA) and electronic medication administration record (EMAR) technology is used in just 2% of U.S. hospitals.4 Similarly, computerized prescriber order entry has been adopted in just 7% of hospitals.5 To successfully implement a BCMA system, a usable bar code must be included on the unit-of-use packaging for each drug product. However, a majority of commercially available medications do not include a standardized bar code that can be scanned by the nurse at the point of administration. Therefore, the pharmacy must manage multiple, disparate drug product identifiers to create a bar code that can be used in a BCMA system.