Using barcode scanning technology to reduce medication errors in dispensing
There are an estimated 37.8 million dispensing errors made in England each year, representing 15.9% of all medication errors.
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The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust supply process was not routinely closed loop, and required the re-keying of important information from one system to another. This open-loop system increased the likelihood of human error.
In an effort to reduce the number of medication dispensing errors, the trust introduced barcoding into their dispensing process. They then assessed the prevented error rates, the speed of dispensing and staff perception, to review efficacy.
