Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Introduction and History of Modern Health Care in the U.S.
Lecture:Technological Advances in the Administration of Health Care
Slide content:Pharmacy Safety improvement in drug dispensing Bar code systems can verify the patient, medication, and the dosage 2006: FDA mandated hospitals use bar codes for administering medications Clinical decision support Reminders and alerts Checks for interactions between drugs Reviews orders Scans for inconsistencies 11
Slide notes:Technology can help the pharmacist and improve patient safety by reducing errors. For example, in drug dispensing, bar code systems can identify the National Drug Code, or NDC , for products, and can verify the patient, the medication, and the dosage. This reduces the possibility of errors, so much so that in 2006 the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, mandated that hospitals use bar codes for administering medication. Clinical decision support is another example of safety improvement. Decision support tools can provide reminders and alerts, check for interactions between drugs, review orders, scan for inconsistencies, and provide advice regarding alternative medications that may have a better safety profile for a particular patient. 11