With advancements in scanning, the role of barcode technology in healthcare becomes more important than ever. While you may think of retail first when you hear about barcodes, they also benefit hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Learn how barcode technology impacts healthcare and its advantages for your organization.
Benefits of Barcode Technology for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
Scanning and barcode technology provide many of the same benefits to healthcare as they do to other industries. Since the health field involves helping patients, these advantages also improve people’s lives. The positive effects of barcode scanners in healthcare include:
- Privacy: Barcode technology can have privacy protections built in to protect patient information. With the right software, you can stay HIPAA-compliant and defend your organization’s data.
- Efficiency: With a single scan, a barcode reader can access patient or supply records. This technology saves time that your staff would otherwise spend looking through documents to find what they need.
- Accuracy: When appropriately used, barcode technology can improve your recordkeeping accuracy. Dependable scanners and barcodes keep your data correct and easy to access.
Thanks to these benefits and more, barcode scanners can improve your organization’s workflow to help you serve patients better.
Medication Manufacturing, Distribution and Administration
Barcodes impact medications from manufacturing to dosing. Medication manufacturers use barcodes to track batches of medicine and make the distribution process more efficient. In clinical settings, using barcodes can increase the accuracy of medication management to keep patients safe and healthy. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, barcodes can reduce medication errors by as much as 40 percent.
Patient Identification and Record Management
Many hospitals use barcode technology to manage patient records. By giving patients barcode identification wristbands, doctors and nurses can access their information with a single scan. As they provide treatment, they can also update and change the records. This process can save lives in emergencies where the patient needs immediate care. It also makes treatment faster so doctors can help more patients.
Blood Transfusion and Laboratory Samples
Diagnosis and treatment can involve handling biological components such as blood. Did you know that the FDA requires blood and blood substances for transfusion to have barcodes? They created this regulation to increase patient safety and improve accuracy because of barcode technology’s effectiveness. In lab testing, barcodes help technicians track samples to ensure accurate results.
Medical Supply Management
Healthcare involves plenty of daily inventory management for medical supplies. A facility’s equipment can cost millions of dollars, making it crucial to manage them accurately. Barcodes can help healthcare professionals track and reorder supplies to save time and money. They can also trace a piece of equipment’s source when it has damage or a defect.
Discover More Ways That Barcode Scanners Improve the Health Industry
At DBK Concepts, we offer barcode scanners and consulting to assist organizations with organization and efficiency. We can teach you more about barcode scanners and how they can improve your healthcare organization. Learn more about barcodes and our products by calling 1-800-725-7226 or by contacting our team online.