Cool Pharmacy Technology – RxAdmix

In this issue of The Imaginary Journal of Pharmacy Automation and Technology (IJPAT) we take a look at RxAdmix, a system designed to provide barcode scan verification in the IV room. Now why didn’t I think of that? Great concept when you consider the dangers associated with compounding an intravenous medication incorrectly. Doxorubicin? Daunorubicin? Eh, what’s the difference.

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Bar-code-assisted medication administration in the ED

In reference to the following article: Including emergency departments in hospitals’ bar-code-assisted medication administration. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2012; 69:1018-1019 (don’t bother trying to access the article unless you have a subscription -#fail) EDs are terrible places for medication administration because the healthcare providers are always in a hurry secondary to the nature of this … Read more

How Barcode Scanners Work [Infographic]

I’ve been meaning to put this up for a while. I thought the infographic below on How Barcode Scanners Work was awesome!

WaspBarcode.com: “In our world today, we’re accustomed to seeing barcodes, but most of us don’t have the slightest clue as to how these black and white striped graphics work, or even how they are properly read with a barcode scanner. Better yet, how can barcodes boost efficiency and productivity in small businesses? Not to worry. We’ve outlined a few barcoding basics, including how a barcode scanner works in our latest Infographic.

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Observational time-motion study comparing trational med administration to BCMA in an ICU [Article]

The article below compares medication administration between paper-based medication administration (PBMA), i.e. the traditional method and bar-code medication administration (BCMA). Unfortunately, as is the case with much of the literature in journals these days, the information is quite old. The data for this observational study was collected in two short spans in 2008 and 2009. The numbers are small, but interesting nonetheless. The results pan out as expected. Items of particular interest were that the nurses in the BCMA groupd spent more time talking to their patients compared to the PBMA groupd, but at the same time spent a heck of a lot more time on drug prep. The first item makes sense, but I’m struggling to understand the drug prep numbers.

The article can be found in the May 2012 issue of Hospital Pharmacy. It is is available for free with registration.

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BCMA Technology: Characterization of Med Triggers and Workarounds (Article)

There’s an interesting article in the February 2011 issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy dealing with BCMA and what the author describes as “clinical workarounds”.1 Abstract BACKGROUND: Bar code medication administration (BCMA) technology is gaining acceptance for its ability to prevent medication administration errors. However, studies suggest that improper use of BCMA technology can yield … Read more

The National Drug Code (NDC) is a gremlin in the works of pharmacy

The National Drug Code, or NDC number as it’s affectionately called in pharmacy, is a set of numbers used to uniquely identify “human drugs and biologicals“. Every pharmacist is familiar with the NDC number, but if you’re not it’s basically a  unique number assigned to each package of medication. It’s an 11 digit number in a 3-segment format, i.e. XXXXX-XXXX-XX.

The first segment consists of five digits and indicates the manufacturer of the drug. The second segment is four digits used to identify the medication and strength. And the final segment of two digits represents the package size.

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