title: Medication bar coding: to scan or not to scan?
abstract: Practical steps for implementing a medication verification system using bar coding are provided. The authors describe the process that a two-hospital system embarked upon to implement a bedside medication verification system. Building blocks of the system are described that made the project successful and met the Patient Safety Goals of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The authors identify the "pitfalls" organizations need to be prepared to handle and quantify financial and safety results achieved with this project.
authors.affiliation: TriHealth Inc., a partnership of Bethesda North and Good Samaritan Hospitals, Cincinnati, OH 45206, USA. linda_galvin@trihealth.com
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galvin
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McBeth
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hasdorff
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tillson
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D001330:Electronic Data Processing / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D048108:Nursing Informatics / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D015279:Organizational Culture; D016730:Program Development; D014481:United States