Cuero Community Hospital in Cuero, Texas, has implemented a bar-coding system for intravenous drugs that will help prevent medication administration errors, the Victoria Advocate reports.
The bar code on the medication corresponds with a bar code on a patient's wristband, and the infusion pump system either accepts or rejects the medication based on dosage parameters and patient history information, the Advocate reports.
The hospital upgraded 60 of its IV pump systems to B. Braun Outlook 200 Safety Infusion Systems, which are bar-code capable. The hospital also installed 20 B. Braun Outlook 300 Safety Infusion System units with DoseTracTM software, which offers wireless access to real-time infusion information and bar-coding technology.
The upgrades were not in response to any problems at the Cuero hospital, said Judy Krupala, chief nursing officer at the hospital. Cuero Community Hospital is the only facility in the greater San Antonio region to be equipped with the bar-code technology, according to a hospital press release (Long, Victoria Advocate, 1/25).