Bar code medication administration: Literature review and capstone project analysis

Nursing

Bar code medication administration (BCMA) is one of the keys to minimizing medical errors in a manner consistent with evidence-based practice (Poon et al., 2010). However, universal embrace and utilization of BCMA remains stagnant. Reasons for resisting the transition to BCMA include nurse perceptions. Holden, Brown, Scanlon, & Tzion-Karsh (2012), for instance, found nurses reporting low perceived usefulness of BCMA in spite of the wealth of evidence supporting the technology. Perceived ease of use of BCMA was moderate, suggesting that it is mainly attitude factors preventing nurses from implementing BCMA in their institutions. When perceptions of the usefulness of BCMA increase, then compliance with BCMA standards can become more widespread. Any program that attempts to increase the utilization of BCMA must focus first on human factors including attitudes. This requires that all nurse leaders, as well as nurse educators, prepare advance practice nurses for using BCMA as a matter of course. Nurse educators are responsible for ingraining early the need for BCMA based on evidence, and creating a normative culture for its use in practice. Nurse leaders likewise have a duty to socialize new nursing staff in the use of BCMA, with special attention paid to staff with seniority who may not be familiar with or interested in the technology. Special training in BCMA may therefore be warranted. Patterson, Rogers, Chapman & Render (2006) also point out the significance of the technology itself, improving ease of use and access to nurse training programs. It is critical to reduce noncompliance, and nurse managers may need to resort to punitive measures with staff who are using workaround strategies to avoid BCMA.