Medication Barcode Scanning: How the Handheld Scanner Helps Healthcare

Code Scanning Solutions Support Nurses, Serve as Patient Safeguards

Doctors and nurses use medication barcode scanning solutions to capture essential medication information that saves lives. To prevent dosing errors and harm, the FDA mandates unique barcodes, such as 1D (Code 128) or 2D (Data Matrix), for medication packaging. These barcode symbologies contain crucial details like the drug name and dosage, lot number, expiration date, and National Drug Code (NDC).

Medication barcodes are critical in verifying drug information and logging administration times before dosing patients. Apart from medication labeling, scannable barcodes on patient wristbands, nurse badges, and equipment also quickly relay patient and medication information to the facility’s electronic medical system. The data is thus available to pharmacy and nursing staff for medication error prevention.

Therefore, hospitals must comply with Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA) so healthcare workers and medical barcode scanners can collectively prevent distribution errors before the medicine reaches a patient.

What is Barcode Medication Administration?

• Right patient
• Right dose
• Right medication
• Right route
• Right time

Barcode Scanners: A Key Ingredient of eMAR Accuracy

Nurses scan barcodes on their ID badges, the patient’s wristband, and medication with Bluetooth® scanners to transmit care data instantly into a software system, where medication distribution is documented automatically in an Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR).

An eMAR contains all indispensable ingredients of a patient's medication records. For example, by scanning a patient’s wristband with a Bluetooth barcode scanner, information on the patient’s drug history, allergies, and labs can inform nurses and physicians about harmful drug interactions.

Furthermore, eMAR technology enhances safety by reducing dosage and timing errors. These instances are where Code Corporation’s barcode scanning hardware and CortexDecoder® software development kit help lower medication administration errors and promote positive patient outcomes.

Code Supports Medication and Pill Scanning

Healthcare barcode scanners are behind every eMAR, medication, and recovering patient, and Code leads in merging innovative data capture with medication administration at hospitals. Here’s how.

Code Barcode Readers: Designed for Every Aspect of Healthcare

Nursing workflows drive Code’s product development. Optimizing variables like optics, form factor, and durability makes Code barcode readers staples in acute and non-acute care facilities for:

• Patient intake and point-of-care—Ideal for workstations on wheels, the CR2700 Barcode Reader (a fourth-generation Bluetooth 5 scanner) is virtually everywhere in hospitals.
• High-traffic stations—The CR1500 Barcode Reader’s rugged construction has landed it in high-traffic areas like nurses’ stations, labs, and pharmacies where spills, drops, and sanitization are commonplace.
• Point-of-sale and inventory—The CR1100 Barcode Reader’s compact design means these handheld and in-stand presentation scanners are at the pharmacy, gift shop, and central purchasing department where supplies are stored.
• Lab coats and scrub pockets—Nurses in specific wards or facilities may use purpose-built, hospital-owned smartphones for mobile barcode scanning, making in-facility calls, or texting colleagues. Our battery backup case family, the CR7000 Series, powers and protects these mobile scanning devices

Dirt, Scratches, or Fluids? No Matter: Code’s Data Capture Tech Scans All

Reliable, aggressive data capture is essential in fast-paced hospitals. Healthcare professionals shouldn’t struggle when scanning a barcode on soiled, wrinkled, shiny, or minuscule surfaces (like implants). This need for speed pushed Code to develop exclusive barcode scanning technology.

At the heart of Code’s scanners is patented Beyond Glare tech that lowers glares on shiny surfaces, increasing contrast so scanners can read barcodes more efficiently. Additionally, our patented Dual-Field Optics technology, a two-lens system with overlapping scan fields, is embedded in Code scanners and optimized to read barcodes of all sizes and in virtually any condition.

CodeShield Plastic Curbs Infection

Code scanners prioritize patient and staff safety with CodeShield® Plastic which provides superior protection from viruses and diseases by withstanding harsh disinfectants. CodeShield consists of densely packed molecules that cleaners can’t penetrate and eventually degrade. Thus, Code devices can be routinely sanitized. CodeShield plastics come in three unique chemical and disease defense levels to suit all parts of the hospital.

• Did you know that between CodeShield and an IP65 rating, Code’s CR2700 resists more harsh chemicals than any other barcode scanner on the market?

EMR and EHR Compatible

How do Code scanners, mobile cases, and software improve hospital safety and efficiency? Our CortexDecoder SDK is an integrated soft-scanning solution compatible with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) applications. Leading EMR and EHR systems use our mobile-ready decoding software, CortexDecoder SDK, to read all 1D and 2D barcodes easily and quickly.

Robust Construction Withstands Drops (even from IV poles!)

Code’s devices and cases are thoroughly engineered and carefully crafted to endure drops. For example, the CR7020 backup case has a four-foot drop spec, while the CR2700 and CR1500 can withstand a six-foot fall if occasionally dropped when scanning a bag on an IV pole. Additionally, our notable CR2700 has an IP65 rating, and our CR1500 possesses an IP54 rating, ensuring they are dust-tight and water-resistant.

BCMA’s success is driving healthcare innovation. For instance, medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies are using more barcodes and multiple symbologies on packaging and equipment thanks to material science and data capture technology advances. Doing so improves patient safety via implant traceability and the tracking and documentation of tool sterilization. These advancements all mean that barcode readers and barcode scanning software will continue to be the code to your good health.

Boosting hospital efficiency and promoting patient and staff safety is as simple as contacting Code. Our data capture experts and partners have the tech and know-how to tackle any healthcare data collection challenges.