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News spotlight: Technology can actually raise the risk of medication errors

Nurse Leader Weekly, July 7, 2008

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Barcoded technology used in healthcare facilities to prevent medication administration errors has errors of its own.

In a recent study conducted among five hospitals in the Midwest and on the East Coast, researcher Ross Koppel, PhD, of The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and colleagues from other healthcare systems found the design and implementation of the technology that is used to match patients with the correct medication faulty, and that it can increase the risk of certain medication errors.

Researchers studied how nurses and other staff members utilized the technology in almost a half-million cases, finding a significant number had complications and chose to override the barcode systems. More specifically, Koppel and his colleagues found 31 causes of problems related to the technology that led to nurses' difficulties, including unreadable medication barcodes, malfunctioning scanners, and lost wireless connectivity.

Despite the difficulties, the researchers concluded that the barcode system does have many benefits.

Sources: Science Daily and MedPage Today

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