Potential advantages and disadvantages of implementing a barcoding system
You are working at a long-term care facility and have been appointed to serve on a new committee. The purpose of the committee is to improve medication safety in the facility. Currently, the medication orders are handwritten in each patient’s chart. The orders are then sent to the pharmacy via fax. The nurses copy the medication orders by hand onto the medication administration record (MAR). The facility does not use barcoding or computer-generated MARs. Medications are supplied from the pharmacy in bulk rather than in unit dose. (Learning Objectives 2, 3, and 7)
1. Discuss the potential for medication errors in the current system. What processes are in place that could make medication errors more likely to occur?
2. Develop suggested solutions for each of the process issues identified. What additional suggestions for improving medication safety can you identify?
3. What would be the potential advantages and disadvantages of implementing a barcoding system in this facility?
Sample Solution
- Handwritten medication orders: Handwritten medication orders are more likely to be illegible than typed orders. This can lead to errors in transcription, such as misreading the dose or the medication name.
Full Answer Section
- Faxed medication orders: Faxed medication orders are also more likely to be illegible than electronic orders. This is because faxed images can be blurry or distorted, making it difficult to read the orders.
- Copied medication orders: Manually copying medication orders is a time-consuming and error-prone process. This is because it is easy to make mistakes when copying, such as transcribing the wrong dose or medication name.
- Lack of barcoding: The lack of barcoding in the medication administration process makes it more difficult to track medications and prevent errors. This is because barcoding allows medications to be scanned, which helps to ensure that the correct medication is given to the correct patient.
- Bulk medications: The use of bulk medications instead of unit-dose medications makes it more difficult to prevent medication errors. This is because bulk medications are not pre-measured, which means that nurses must measure them out themselves. This can lead to errors in measurement, such as giving too much or too little medication.
- Use electronic medication orders: Electronic medication orders are more accurate and efficient than handwritten orders. They also reduce the risk of transcription errors.
- Use barcoding: Barcoding can be used to track medications throughout the medication administration process. This helps to ensure that the correct medication is given to the correct patient.
- Use unit-dose medications: Unit-dose medications are pre-measured, which reduces the risk of medication errors.
- Provide training to nurses: Nurses should be trained on how to prevent medication errors. This training should cover topics such as reading medication orders, transcribing medication orders, and administering medications.
- Create a culture of safety: A culture of safety is one where everyone is aware of the risks of medication errors and is committed to preventing them. This can be created by providing training, rewarding safe practices, and addressing unsafe practices.