Barcode scanning

felineRN · Aug 14, 2013

You will develop a flow to things. I'm the bad nurse who would unpackage/draw up, scan, and then give. That way I can get in and get out. If I'm in that room for more than 5 minutes, there better be a very good reason. If you take meds in, scan, then open the packages/draw up, and give, you will increase your length of time in my opinion. That's probably how your hospital system wants you to do it to prevent errors. I think that its probably going to be a learned muscle memory thing. The more you do it, the faster you'll get. As I said before, if you have your ducks in a row before you get in that room, you'll save yourself a lot of time. I would also pre-spike fluids/piggybacks and scan them at the desk near the computer and then hang.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2013

Our ED nurses had this issue also, so the EMAR system was changed for them.

This is the process at our ED:

1. patient placed into ED room

2. ED tracking is connected to EMAR. Now the ED tracking reports that the patient is in "H" in Core "B" or whatever

3. ED nurse signs onto computer in that room

4. ONLY that patient's info pops up - right on the MAR page.

5. The nurse administers ordered meds

6. The nurse double clicks on the meds and this is how it is documented

I don't work ED, so I know there are more details. But this fixed a LOT of the issues.

Kidrn911 · Aug 16, 2013

The pain is that we have to scan the meds all within a minute of each other, so I scan 1 med give it, wait a minute scan another med give it. When you have several it is a waste of time. They do it to maximise billing.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Aug 16, 2013

Our ED nurses had this issue also, so the EMAR system was changed for them.
This is the process at our ED:
1. patient placed into ED room
2. ED tracking is connected to EMAR. Now the ED tracking reports that the patient is in "H" in Core "B" or whatever
3. ED nurse signs onto computer in that room
4. ONLY that patient's info pops up - right on the MAR page.
5. The nurse administers ordered meds
6. The nurse double clicks on the meds and this is how it is documented
I don't work ED, so I know there are more details. But this fixed a LOT of the issues.

I like how only that particular patient's EMR/EMAR pops up and not somebody else's. I've seen nurses leave computers in the rooms with the entire tracking shell up for viewing when they run out to go get something. Talk about a major HIPAA violation.

We have had barcode scanning for awhile. We all hated it at first as it disrupted our work flow; however, I have grown to love it. It's an extra "check" when you're administering medications and it has actually saved me from potential med errors. In our Pyxis, our DuoNeb and Albueterol nebs are right next to each other (and with very similar packaging)...so I was supposed to give Albuterol but grabbed a DuoNeb instead. I still check my meds even with scanning but somehow I missed this and when I realized it wouldn't scan, I realized I had grabbed the wrong medication!

Now I will admit, some things I do not scan right then and there...such as if I am assisting with an RSI. The doc will give me verbal orders so I'll grab the RSI kit and draw up everything that is needed, then administer the medications. The MD will put in the orders later and I will scan them as a late order entry. In an true emergency situation you don't have time to put all of the orders in, scan the patient, scan the med, put in the requiring information (our program will not let you scan the next med until you put in that required information), then scan the next one, etc.