Effect of bar-code–assisted medication administration on medication error rates in an adult medical intensive care unit.

Jaculin L. DeYoung; Marie E. Vanderkooi; Jeffrey F. Barletta

Study

Effect of bar-code–assisted medication administration on medication error rates in an adult medical intensive care unit.

June 24, 2009

DeYoung JL, Vanderkooi ME, Barletta JF. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009;66(12):1110-5.

View more articles from the same authors.

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.

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Effect of bar-code–assisted medication administration on medication error rates in an adult medical intensive care unit.

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