More Opinion and still lack of science on BCMA

This is getting downright weird.  I am starting to feel like Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men, calling for real proof of decrease med errors rather than jumping on the BCMA bandwagon. 

New Report on Lessons from AHRQ-Funded Barcode Medication Administration Projects

The AHRQ National Resource Center for Health Information Technology has released a new report that summarizes key findings from grantees who have examined how applications such as barcode medication administration can improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care. The report focuses on lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities associated with introducing these applications into real-world clinical settings so that others who wish to implement and use barcode medication administration and electronic medication administration record technologies can learn from the experiences of these AHRQ projects. Select to access the report.

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Would like to hear reactions to the just released report.

My spin: It is my view that the statement below from the report does NOT support BCMA.

“Research has demonstrated successful reductions in the rate of medication administration and dispensing errors after the implementation of barcoding systems,8-16”

Reference 8 and 9 are on the dispensing process that are elegant and very convincing for the dispensing process not BCMA.

Reference 10-16 are not research studies showing reduction in errors but opinion pieces. They assume that BCMA will decrease errors and give commentary from that perspective. None of the references are research to show decrease medication errors. Something as important as this needs science not opinion.

8. Poon EG, Cina JL Churchill W, Patel N, et al. Medication dispensing errors and potential adverse drug events before and after implementing bar code technology in the pharmacy. Ann Intern Med 2006 Sep 19;145(6):426-34.

9. Poon EG, Cina JL, Churchill WW, et al. Effect of bar-code technology on the incidence of medication dispensing errors and potential adverse drug events in a hospital pharmacy. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2005:1085.

10. Patterson ES, Rogers ML, Render ML. Fifteen best practice recommendations for bar-code medication administration in the veterans health administration. Jt Comm J Qual Saf 2004 Jul;30(7):355-65.

11. Wright AA, Katz IT. Bar coding for patient safety. N Engl J Med 2005;353:329-31.

12. Patchett JA. Bar coding: A practical approach to improving medication safety. ASHP Advantage; North Shore LIJ; Hospira; 2004:1-11.

13. Department of Health and Human Services: Food and Drug Administration. Bar code label requirements for human drug products and biological products; final rule. Federal Register 2004;69(38):201-601.

14. Department of Health and Human Services: Food and Drug Administration. Bar code label requirements for human drug products and biological products; final rule. Federal Register 2004;69(38):201-601.

15. The Joint Commission. http://www.jointcommission.org/. Accessed August 30, 2008.

16. Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS. To err is human: building a safer health system. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1999.