Pharmacy Professional Literature
Download statements and other materials from ASHP and other professional associations on bar-code
related information.
February 1, 2011
Covering those recommendations and assumptions determined at the past year’s Pharmacy Practice Model Summit.
American Journal of Health System Pharmacy
July 1, 2010
Medication errors are most likely to occur during the prescribing and administration stages. Bar-code technology can the possibility mitigate of medication error throughout all phases leading up to administration, for safer patient care.
June 2010
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists released a statement encouraging the use of bar-code scanning technology in inventory management, dose preparation, packaging and dispensing of medications. The Society notes that adding bar coding to the pharmacy dispensing process can significantly reduce opportunities for medication errors at the bedside, provides accurate reporting needs for compliance and can direct more appropriate deployment of pharmacy labor.
American Journal of Health System Pharmacy
April 1, 2010
After completing a survey mailed to pharmacy directors at 1,364 general and children’s medical-surgical hospitals on medication monitoring and patient education practices, ASHP found that the pharmacists surveyed were significantly involved in monitoring medication therapy, but were less involved in medication education activities. They also found that the hospital pharmacy practice is becoming increasing integrated, with pharmacists having both distribution and clinical roles.
American Journal of Health System Pharmacy
May 15, 2009
ASHP releases the results from a 2008 survey in which pharmacy directors from 1,310 general and children’s hospitals respond to questions on dispensing and administration policies. They found that the adoption of new technology is rapidly changing the "philosophy of medication distribution."
2009
ASHP released a statement encouraging health systems to adopt bar-code-enabled medication administration (BCMA) technology, thereby improving patient safety and the accuracy of medications administered, as well as corresponding documentation. In this statement, the ASHP asserts that hospital pharmacists must be involved in the planning, development, implementation and management of BCMA systems and must also be ultimately responsible for the management of their infrastructure to ensure system success.
American Journal of Health System Pharmacy
May 1, 2008
This survey on prescribing and transcribing methods found that pharmacists were increasingly becoming more comfortable with the trends toward more electronic communication and ease of reference availability. The study also found that pharmacists, responding to changes in the health care system, are finding appropriate ways to improve medication use at the prescribing and transcribing steps of the medication-use system.
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
December 2008
A study was performed to assess the adoption and use of pharmacy informatics and technology in the medication use process. Participating hospitals were found to widely employ informatics and technology in all stages of the medication use process.
The Permanente Journal
Summer 2008
The study identified three main targets for improving the efficiency of nursing care: documentation, medication administration, and care coordination. Changes in technology, among other changes, may allow for greater nurse labor efficiency and safer patient care.
2008
The ISMP held a forum to discuss features and functionality updates to ADCs in order to develop core processes and interdisciplinary guidelines for their safe use.
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
August 2007
The HPP framework defines pharmacy performance based on feasibility, financial return, and effect on quality and safety. The framework provides a model for pharmacists to develop priorities and best practices to improve the medication use system.
Archive of Internal Medicine
April 2007
Implementation of a bar-code–assisted medication-dispensing system in hospital pharmacies can result in a positive financial return on investment for the health care organization.
2007
Pharmacists, with a unique knowledge of information systems and the medication use process, must use this knowledge to improve patient care by ensuring that new technologies support safer medication use.
2007
HIMSS provides a guide to ensuring that all medications are accompanied by an accurately mapped and readable barcode, for the most efficient, safe medication use process.