I N D U S T R Y I N V E S T I G A T I O N
Eliminating medication administration risks
One of the key touchpoints on a nurse ’ s journey is medication administration . However , with increased pressure to increase productivity , despite chronic staffing shortages , the risk of error can rise significantly .
For instance , it ’ s estimated that every year in England 237 million medication errors occur at some point in the medication process , with adverse drug events ( ADEs ) costing the NHS over £ 98 million a year .
Barcode medication administration ( BCMA ) processes require easy-to-use , error-free scanning technology . Medication packaging comes in many forms which can pose challenges for nurses . For instance , curved , highly reflective surfaces and minuscule barcodes can be tricky , with low levels of light in darkened patient rooms making simple scanning tasks a nightmare .
A recent study suggested that BCMA is limited by technological constraints , including low laptop battery , system lags , freezing and malfunctioning or unavailable barcode scanners .
A smart device powered with a reliable and superfast scanner gives clinicians peace of mind to overcome these challenges , assisting nurses in confirming the ‘ five rights ’:
1 . |
Right patient |
2 . |
Right medication |
3 . |
Right dose |
4 . |
Right route |
5 . |
Right time . |
When limited by technology , processes are slowed and inevitable deviations from established protocols occur .
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