Medication barcoding: Do you use it??

[skap]

Our hospital is starting barcoding soon, we will have to scan the med, and scan the pt ID bracelet, and our badge before giving meds. Does anyone currently use this, and if so how do you like it? Any problems you've noticed with it? Any suggestions to make the transition easier?

Thanks!

[rollingstone]

I've had experience with the Bridge system and favor it. The current hospital I'm working at is about to introduce something similar. Eventually this will be the norm across the land.

[teresablood]

We have been using the bar coding system for 2 years now. The system definitely decreases the amount of medication errors that someone might make but it is definitely labor intensive and takes time to learn

[oramar]

Personally I think it is great. Protect patients from med errors but not 100%. The place I work does not use it on IV drugs. What the problem is I don't know. I find it insane but they don't. You know what my biggest problem is with it? Just as I am zooming in to scan people move the armto try to help me. When the arm moves the bar code turns away from me. Saying don't move the arm guarantees they will move the arm. It is just a small thing but trying to bar code fish 100 times a week and see how tired you get of it. Maybe educational material saying "don't move the arm during a scan unless nurse tells you to move it" would help. Also, very thin people have to have the wrist band pulled tight to the point where part of the code is blocked. My advice to any one instituting barcoding is to make it easy to get new bands because they do get lost and damaged.