What is barcode medication administration

There is a need for barcodes in medication administration, to reduce medical errors at the point of administration. That is why hospitals apply a barcode medication administration BCMA system, it uses basic scanning technology. Medication: A medication is a substance that is taken into or placed on the body that does one of the following things:. Most medications are used to cure a disease or condition. For example, antibiotics are given to cure an infection.

Medications are also given to treat a medical condition. For example, anti-depressants are given to treat depression. Medications are also given to relieve symptoms of an illness.

For example, pain relievers are given to reduce pain. Vaccinations are given to prevent diseases. For example, the Flu Vaccine helps to prevent the person from complications of having the flu. The medications which are applied directly to the affected area like eye drops or topical skin creams or ointments, the applications tend to have a very localized effect.

Moreover, it does not enter the bloodstream in significant quantities. For example: Antibiotic ointment is applied to a scrape on the skin. The ointment stays on the surface of the skin, only where the medication effect is needed. Some of the medications, which are given orally, such as pills or liquids in the different forms as rectal suppositories, transdermal patches and subcutaneous injections. These enter in the bloodstream and act on a specific organ or system within the body.

These medications are said to have a systemic effect. For example: Anti-depressant medications taken orally are circulated through the bloodstream and work by increasing the number of certain chemicals in the brain. You might even find yourself sleeping better at night. Contact Bar Code Direct today to learn more about making the most of a barcoding system in your facility.

Categories Tags Archives. Search for:. What kind of errors does the Barcode Medication Administration prevent? The types of errors reduced include: Administering medication to the wrong patient. Oftentimes nurses find workarounds to make their shifts a little easier. Mistaking one medication for another. Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality. This information is for reference purposes only.

It was current when produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information. Please go to digital.

Bar-coded Medication Administration. Introduction Each year, an estimated 7, deaths are linked to medication errors [1]. Communication and Workflow Lesson 1: Implementing BCMA requiresworkflow modifications for nursing, pharmacy, and other stakeholders, with changes in culture, attitudes, and practice, to achieve the benefits of this technology. BCMA introduces significant workflow changes for nurses, requiring targeted change management strategies.

To measure and prepare for this change, AHRQ grantees have utilized workflow redesign tools, such as workflow and process diagrams, to plan for and communicate changes in clinician workflow before their systems went live.

Prior to implementation, grantees reported that nurses have generally viewed BCMA systems favorably, in anticipation of the benefits of the technology on patient safety. Nurses and nurse managers have suggested that, after an initial learning period for the technology and adjustments in medication administration workflow, use of BCMA helped clinical staff foster improved safety practices.

Of all stakeholder groups affected by BCMA implementation, nurses are the most impacted. Consequently, organizations transitioning to BCMA should focus significant training and workflow redesign resources on nurses. Redesigning the medication administration process as part of implementing BCMA required increased collaboration and communication among nursing and pharmacy staff.

While breaking down these organizational barriers resulted in a more integrated work and information flow, it forced the grantees' nursing and pharmacy staffs to confront and re-define longstanding perceptions around roles and responsibilities. For example, one grantee organization encountered significant strains between its nursing and pharmacy staff due to different perspectives regarding the information that should be displayed and available in the eMAR software.