According to the BWH study, in some cases an increase of potential adverse drug events was possible, especially when every dose of medications was not scanned. For barcode scanning technology to work as designed, every medication dose would have to be scanned before it reached the patient (BWH, 2002). Given the current shortage of nurses available to perform routine tasks in hospital care settings, it is likely that multiple errors might occur from a nurse not having time to or forgetting to scan every dose a patient would take before medicating the patient.

Some reports acknowledge that technological systems as barcode scanning are "cumbersome" and may "cause an unreasonable increase in time needed to administer medications" with some hospitals reporting an 8-second delay in medication recognition when nurses used a database instead of manual methods (Cipriano, 2002).

Conclusion

The use of barcode scanning for medication processing and administration is not the cure-all for medication errors. Without proper training and 100% perfect use and implementation uniformly among staff, the benefits associated with its use outweigh the increased costs and educational burden associated with implementing new technology.

References

& Berlinger, N. Who is responsible? The Hastings Center Report, 36(3): 11.
BWH. (2005). BWH study finds using bar code technology in a hospital pharmacy dramatically reduces dispensing errors and potential adverse drug events." Brigham and Women's Hospital. February, 2005. Accessed 7, May 2007: http://www.hms.harvard.edu/news/pressreleases/bwh/1006barcodes.html

Cipriano, P.F. "Statement of the American Academy of Nursing and the American

Organization of Nurse Executives regarding barcode labeling." July 26, 2002. Accessed 7, May, 2007:

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/02/Aug02/080802/02n-0204-ts00010-vol3.pdf.

Meadows, M. (2003, May). Strategies to reduce medication errors: How the FDA is working to improve medication safety and what you can do to help. FDA Consumer, 37(3): 20.

Stephens, G. (1992, May). Drugs and crime in the twenty-first century: New approaches to old problems. The Futurist, 26(3): 1992.

Virtual Medical Worlds. "St. Clair Hospital reduces medication administration errors with Socket Communications barcode." VMW Monthly. Accessed 7, May 2007: http://www.hoise.com/vmw/05/articles/vmw/LV-VM-06-05-15.html

Barcode Scanning