Bar Code Enabled Point Of Care (BCPC)

With the goal of moving toward the electronic medical record (EMR), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has advocated the use of bar codes in healthcare. Moreover, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has also proposed regulations that impact this issue. Much has been written regarding the benefits bar codes can offer in supply logistics and billing, document management and point of care patient safety. And although few would dispute that bar codes can be very useful in reducing errors, streamlining processes and enhancing patient safety, many issues still loom large. Bar codes remain technically very challenging— from their symbology to the scanners that must read them. What are the key considerations? Symbology is the "language" of a bar code, and it’s what the scanner must read. The bar code is a collection of white spaces and lines that represent an item, and that your computer uses to look up the record of information about that item.

In the area of materials management, bar codes can help in receiving, shipping, inventory and proper routing of supplies. Retailers already use bar codes to identify, charge, automatically inventory and (if necessary) reorder items: critical functions that happen at the register and translate to stores receiving and vendor shipping amounts and schedules.

However, the really tremendous advantages of bar codes may, in fact, prove to be in the clinical area. The use of "bar code enabled point of care" (BCPC) helps capture data electronically at the point of service. This includes identifying the caregiver, patient and (for example) medication being administered, all with instrumentation at the bedside. In the medication example, bar code technology can also be used to automatically "chart" the delivery of medications (or other procedures). This helps caregivers spend more real time in patient care, not in paperwork.

But even though bar codes offer tremendous plusses, there is no standard symbology at present. Numerous symbologies have been created within healthcare (and beyond)—mostly in response to specific challenges. But all scanners won’t read all bar codes. Scanners that "read" the bar codes differ widely in their advantages and limitations. Bar codes such as those on wristbands may need to be shared by several applications which require different numbers, number formats or barcode types.

Still, bar code technology at the point-of-care can, in theory, improve the safety and accuracy of medication administration, transfusions, laboratory work, specimen collection and other procedures. But while patient safety is a paramount concern for healthcare providers, the costs of bar coding and other technologies must be weighed against a number of competing "wants" for scarce healthcare dollars. Bar code technology in the clinical setting is a serious investment. For hospitals considering the move to bar code technology at the point of care, healthcare providers must first get a global grasp of the uses for bar codes in their facilities. This will require the input (and again, the buy in) of all members of the clinical team who will use this technology). If you first consider your culture and workflow, you’ll understand better the opportunities (and challenges) of implementing this technology. Organizations must also assess their readiness (as an organization and in terms of their IT infrastructure) to take advantage of this opportunity.

And finally, choosing a vendor to assist your facility move toward the many applications of bar code technology should include pointed conversation about your facilities goals—short term and long range—and your prospective vendor’s abilities and willingness to help you achieve them.