title: Bar-code-assisted medication administration: a method for predicting repackaging resource needs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Results of a study at two hospitals to validate and test systems for bar-code-assisted medication administration (BCMA) are reported, including data on bar-code scanning failures and BCMA-related staff resource needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  To prepare for BCMA implementation, pharmacy inventories at the two study sites were characterized by scanning product bar codes with a handheld device. The custom database built to house BCMA data was programmed to match National Drug Code (NDC) information on package labels with NDC information in the BCMA database. The data collected during inventory scanning were used (1) to quantify and address failed bar-code scans, (2) to predict the number of products that would require repackaging and relabeling to ensure accurate bedside scans, and (3) to estimate full-time equivalent (FTE) staff resources for BCMA-related repackaging work.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During inventory assessment, scanning failures occurred with about 12.5% of products at the two pharmacy sites, mainly due to the absence of a bar-code label (49-53% of failed scans) or the inability to identify NDCs within the package bar code (38-46% of failed scans). It was determined that 8-10% of products inventoried at the two sites would require repackaging before dispensing, with associated technician resource needs estimated at 0.3-0.5 unit of FTE labor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of inventory scanning revealed that most failed scans were attributable to the lack of a bar code on some products or problems with NDC recognition by the BCMA database. After those problems were addressed, a three-month pilot test on one patient care unit indicated an overall scanning success rate of >96%.
authors.affiliation: Mercy Hospital, Allina Health, Coon Rapids, MN 55433, USA. jill.strykowski@allina.com
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strykowski
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hadsall
authors.forename: Bethany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sawchyn
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: VanSickle
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niznick
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004348:Drug Labeling / Q000379:methods; D004349:Drug Packaging / Q000379:methods; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D001330:Electronic Data Processing / Q000379:methods; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations