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Lilly Announces Individual Bar Coding on All Insulin Vials

Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005

Industry believes bar codes may reduce risk of medication errors in hospital settings.

The bar codes – much like the linear bar codes found on many retail products – have been included on Lilly’s insulin product outer packaging in the past, but this marks the first time the bar codes are being included on the vial labels.

Bar code labeling on prescription drugs is projected to reduce error by 500,000 instances over the next 20 years with an estimated savings of $93 billion in additional health care costs, patient pain and suffering and lost wages, according to the FDA. Studies by U.S. Pharmacopeia in 2003 indicate insulin products have the highest rates of errors in a hospital setting.

“With insulin, the vials are often removed from outer packaging. Bar coding the vial itself is so integral to enhancing safety in our hospitals,” said Michael R. Cohen, RPh, MS, ScD, president of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and author of the book Medication Errors. “As more hospitals embrace technology that allows for 100 percent digital patient medical records, we’re seeing bedside bar code scanners in patient rooms and correlating bar codes on patient identification bracelets. Doctors designate the proper medication, dosage, time to administer, and so on for their patients. Then when a nurse administering medication scans the patient’s bracelet and vial, all data can be verified before any drug is administered.

Source: Diabetes In Control.com.