New medical tablet from Sanwell offers RFID, barcode scanner

Samwell has introduced a tablet PC designed specifically for the medical industry. The tablet is dubbed the MCA9 and offers a 1.6GHz Atom processor, a two megapixel camera, a RFID reader and optional bar code scanner, and an 8.9-inch TFT-LCD touch screen that is readable in sunlight. According to Samwell: “designed for medical application, the … Read more

Computer options for nurses using BCMA

Our facility is in the process of implementing bar code medication administration (BCMA) at the bedside. A large part of the process involves selecting hardware for the nurses to use on the floor. In addition to bar code scanners, the nurses will need access to computers for documenting not only medication administration, but other patient specific information as well.

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Thoughts on creating a BCMA cross reference file

zebra_barcode2Our facility is gearing up to implement bar code medication administration (BCMA) in February 2010. Part of getting ready is making sure that all the medications dispensed from the pharmacy are bar code ready. If the medication isn’t bar coded or won’t scan, then it won’t do the nurse much good at the bedside. We’re in pretty good shape secondary to our carousel install in February of 2008. Everything that gets stored in the carousel is already bar coded. I had hoped that the file stored in our AutoPharm, i.e. carousel, cross reference file could simply be dropped into our Siemens Pharmacy cross reference file, but that would have been too easy. Siemens refused to play nicely with the data.

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BCMA vs. CPOE, Which Comes First? Webinar Results

Pharmacy OneSource hosted a webinar “debate” today that had two excellent speakers presenting their cases for which technology should implement first; Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) or Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA). The webinar was well worth the time. The case for CPOE was presented by John Poikonen, Pharm.D. John is the Clinical Informatics Director … Read more

Pediatric labels for bar code medication administration (BCMA)

One of the questions marks surrounding BCMA, known as MAK in Siemens language, is how to label pediatric oral syringes. Unlike most adult unit-dosed medications, pediatric dosages come in a variety of sizes. Where an adult patient may receive 25mg of captopril, a pediatric patient may receive a range of doses based on weight (0.15-0.3 mg/kg/dose for infants). The captopril tablet used by adults is barcode ready from the manufacturer. The pediatric dose, on the other hand, is not. For pediatric patients we compound a 0.75mg/mL oral suspension and pull the doses into oral syringes based on the provider’s order. Captopril is only one example as we do the same for hydralazine, spironolactone, propranolol, sildenafil, etc.

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Is bar code scanning really safer for pharmacy?

This is a great questions and one that I previously would have said is a no-brainer. I believe a bar coding system for medication dispensing from the pharmacy is an improvement in patient safety, but I would be hard pressed to prove it. A colleague of mine (John Poikonen at RxInformatics.com) is fond of saying that there is no evidence to support the use of bar coding. Here’s a quote from John: “The pharmacy profession is drunk with the notion that BCMA works for patient safety, in the face of little to no evidence.“ He has a point.

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Siemens Innovations ’09 – update

I just finished my last session of the day here in Philadelphia, and overall I would have to say it was a productive one.

My first session today was an update on various future enhancements to both the Siemens Pharmacy System and their barcode medication administration system (BCMA), fondly referred to as MAK. The future enhancements bring much needed functionality to a system that, in my opinion, wasn’t ready for prime time.

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A failure modes and effects analysis on bar code medication administration

Over the past several months I’ve been involved with a committee tasked with performing a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) on our bedside scanning initiative. An FMEA is a procedure for analyzing potential failure modes within a system and classifying those potential failures by frequency and severity. The failure modes can be actual or potential. It’s a way to plan for holes in the system before they actually develop, and can be quite useful in creating possible solutions for future problems. Being proactive is always easier than being reactive, I think.

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