Effect of bar-code–assisted medication administration on medication error rates in an adult medical intensive care unit.
DeYoung JL, Vanderkooi ME, Barletta JF. Effect of bar-code-assisted medication administration on medication error rates in an adult medical intensive care unit. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009;66(12):1110-5. doi:10.2146/ajhp080355.
This study demonstrated that implementation of a bar-code–assisted medication administration (BCMA) system reduced medication errors by 56%. This reduction entirely reflected a higher rate of medications administered at the right time. Other errors types did not decrease significantly. Past studies have described workarounds and a near miss after similar implementations.