title: Bar coding from breast to baby: a comprehensive breast milk management system for the NICU.
abstract: Breast milk errors have received increasing attention in the literature in terms of the potential infectious risk posed to the recipient baby and also the stress that results for both the donor and recipient families. Beginning in the mid-1990s, one Level III NICU began making changes in how feedings were prepared and distributed in an attempt to reduce breast milk errors. Despite these changes, breast milk errors continued to occur, and, in 2005, this NICU introduced a bar coding system to further reduce the risk of administering breast milk to the wrong infant. Breast milk errors have subsequently been substantially reduced.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada. dorothy.dougherty@sunnybrook.ca
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dougherty
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nash
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D001330:Electronic Data Processing / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017784:Milk Banks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009864:Ontario; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010355:Patient Identification Systems / Q000379:methods