Bar Code Verification Technology Improves Medication Safety

Medication errors often occur during order transcription or on administration to hospitalized patients. Bar code verification technology, within an electronic medication-administration system (bar code eMAR), is being used increasingly to prevent such errors. However, data on the effectiveness of this technology are limited, and study outcomes have been mixed.

Researchers at a 735-bed tertiary academic medical center in Boston prospectively assessed rates of errors in order transcription and medication administration before and after implementation of bar-code eMAR. Errors were categorized as timing errors (early or late administration) and nontiming errors. Each error was adjudicated independently by a multidisciplinary panel (physician, nu…