Anticlue

Bar-Code Point-Of-Care (BPOC)

Let?s take a couple minutes and think about bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) technology. One of the patient safety goals is to improve identifying a patient when administer drugs or blood. Having each patient uniquely identified via a bar-code would be a long step towards this improvement. Bar Coding normally is less expensive than a computerized physician order entry system, and it is a very effective way to guarantee bedside safety.

BPOC systems come in a range of flavors, first there is the simple check to ensure you have the following:
1. right patient
2. right drug
3. right route
4. right dose
5. right time

Then we can explore the advance features, for example, since we are keeping all of the administration in a computer, how about we make the information viewable as a medication administration record. Even better, let?s link it to the clinical repository with the information maintained on the patient. And let?s keep the patient?s allegry information in the medication administration record.

Another nice feature in a BPOC, would be an on-line in house formulary. This is basically a listing of all of the medications available in-house, forms, dosing guidelines, descriptions. Sorta like Epocrates for individuals hospital pharmacies.

While we are at thinking of practicalities, weight-based dose checking would be good. Wouldn?t it be easier to just know how much heparin to request?

Now, who to choose for this technology, out of the hat, I would suggest using either your pharmacy system vendor or the CPOE vendor. It would just make implementation a lot easier.