Assure the 5 Rights of Medication Administration

When it comes to healthcare, today’s highly informed patients have choices. And their biggest decision point is often based on trust that the provider will deliver the best quality of care, safely and efficiently. Over the past two decades, bar code technologies have helped to streamline bedside care and reduce medication errors, while reducing paperwork and administrative workload.

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center On Board for Quality Care

Medical centers across the nation are leveraging the benefits that bar coding provide beyond just reduction of paperwork. Consider Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, a 185-bed acute care facility, provides inpatient and outpatient care in Thibodaux, LA. For the third consecutive year, J.D. Power and Associates recognized the center for service excellence under the Distinguished Hospital Program, acknowledging Thibodaux Regional’s strong commitment to provide “An Outstanding Patient Experience” for inpatient and outpatient services.

Barcodes to improve BMV

To improve quality and safety even further, Thibodaux saw bar codes as a solution to improve bedside medication verification (BMV). The medical center sought to replace paper bar code labels with a durable, easy-to-scan solution. In addition, staff needed a way to help prevent nurse workarounds in BMV. In particular, they wanted to prevent nurses from scanning bar codes from patient folders instead of patient wristbands—a requirement for achieving BMV compliance.

Prior to implementing a BMV solution, Thibodaux conducted extensive research to uncover workarounds that nurses use in other medical centers. Thibodaux discovered that by including a “check-digit” in the 2-D bar codes on patient wristbands, they could guarantee that only approved patient ID scanners can read the wristband. This prevents chart label scanners, or other off-the-shelf scanners from decoding the wristband data. In addition, the check-digit ensures that medical staff actually scans the band at the patient’s bedside, and is a major factor for preventing workarounds.

Thibodaux certainly understands that patient trust is vital—and their decision to implement BMV proves it. “Before we went live, we knew about potential workarounds and put a plan in place—a checkpoint between the nurse and patient that protects patient safety,” said Danna Caillouet, physician analyst, R.N. “That was a huge win for us.”

To gain the most value from bar coding solutions, medical centers must ensure that wristbands contain the right information, meet industry mandates, and provide staff with an efficient solution that also prevents workarounds.

Give us a call to learn more about bar coding at the point of care.

Vanir Technology, Inc.  650 479 4779