Bar+coding+at+POC

Please upload the research findings or files on Bar coding at Point of Care on this page.

[|Implementation Guide for the use of bar coding technology in healthcare (HIMSS)]

Integrated Software Design White Paper

[|OHA Leading Patient Safety Practice - 2008] (one of the cited practices) In an effort to reduce the potential for errors that can and do occur while collecting, transporting and reporting patient tests, Halton Healthcare Services turned to barcode technology. In 2007, it became the first Canadian hospital to implement an electronic system to ensure positive patient identification (PPID). The barcode technology used at the bedside to identify the patient and print specimen labels, ensures that specimens are collected from the right patient, at the right time, into the right specimen container. It was the hospital’s laboratory service that took the lead in this system-wide collaborative project,responding to a concerning error rate with specimen collection as well as addressing the organization’s patient safety goals. Areduction in the specimen identification error rate occurred almost immediately after implementation. Data from the first 10 months for all collections showed a 53% reduction, despite the PPIDsystem having not yet been fully implemented across phlebotomy services (not in emergency or ambulatory areas). And when comparing manual versus PPIDcollections for phlebotomy only, the incident rate dropped 91.2%. Staff reported improvements in collection accuracy, and efficiencies have been achieved with reduced turnaround times and a decreased need to repeat phlebotomies. The culture has shiftedto a collaborative partnership between nursing and lab staff, and phlebotomy staff members are now vigilant ambassadors of safety for specimen management. Patients report increased confidence in their safety as a result of this initiative, and plans are underway to expand PPID capabilities to other departments and services such as blood and medication administration, ECG and diagnostic imaging testing.  Couple more articles:
 * Barcodes connect patients and samples to reduce errors **
 * I will try to read them adn provide a summary on Wednesday.