Quality & Patient Safety

Hospital nearly doubles medication scanning rates

Patient Safety Monitor, July 1, 2010

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In April 2008, Baystate Medical Center (BMC), a 653-bed teaching hospital in Springfield, MA, began implementation of its Bar Code Point of Care (BCPOC) technology to positively impact medication administration in reducing errors.

In the early pilot programs, BMC reported a 50% bedside scanning rate for all medications and a medication error rate of 1.2 errors per 1,000 patient days.

Following the implementation of an organizationwide bar code scanning process in September 2008, BMC improved its medication scanning rates to 87%–90%. The medication error rate also decreased to 0.3 errors per 1,000 patient days, a 75% reduction.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor.

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