The Effects of Bar-coding Technology on Medication Errors: A Systematic Literature Review

Background The bar-coding technology adoptions have risen drastically in U.S. health systems in the past decade. However, few studies have addressed the impact of bar-coding technology with strong prospective methodologies and the research, which has been conducted from both in-pharmacy and bedside implementations. Objective This systematic literature review is to examine the effectiveness of bar-coding technology on preventing medication errors and what types of medication errors may be prevented in the hospital setting. Methods A systematic search of databases was performed from 1998 to December 2016. Studies measuring the effect of bar-coding technology on medication errors were included in a full-text review. Studies with the outcomes other than medication errors such as efficiency or workarounds were excluded. The outcomes were measured and findings were summarized for each retained study. Results A total of 2603 articles were initially identified and 10 studies, which used prospective before-and-after study design, were fully reviewed in this article. Of the 10 included studies, 9 took place in the United States, whereas the remaining was conducted in the United Kingdom. One research article focused on bar-coding implementation in a pharmacy setting, whereas the other 9 focused on bar coding within patient care areas. All 10 studies showed overall positive effects associated with bar-coding implementation. Conclusions The results of this review show that bar-coding technology may reduce medication errors in hospital settings, particularly on preventing targeted wrong dose, wrong drug, wrong patient, unauthorized drug, and wrong route errors.

Automated summary

This systematic review examined the impact of bar-coding technology on preventing medication errors in hospital settings, focusing on prospective methodologies. A total of 10 studies were included, with results showing overall positive effects associated with bar-coding implementation in reducing medication errors, particularly targeted on wrong dose, wrong drug, wrong patient, unauthorized drug, and wrong route errors.