I’ve previously commented on the medication- and blood-administration aspects of Zebra Technologies’ recent white paper entitled It’s All in the Wrist: Improving Patient Safety with Barcode Wristbands, but that important resource covers other critical barcode wristband applications as well. As with medication and blood administration, The Joint Commission treats tracking of treatments and procedures as one of its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) Goal-1 accreditation priorities – priorities that specifically anticipate implementing bar-coded patient wristbands to ensure compliance with that critical patient-ID goal.
But integrating wristbands to implement Barcode Enabled Point-of-Care (BCOC) processes fulfills functions that go beyond patient safety concerns; barcoded wristbands also play an essential role in validating that specific actions, such as prescribed treatments, were performed when, where, and by whom.
The “Five Rights” listed in the previous discussion of medication administration can be paraphrased to extend to treatment delivery as well:
- Right Patient
- Right Time
- Right Treatment
- Right Location
- Right Caregiver
Imagine a treatment process that includes these steps:
- The caregiver uses a scanner equipped mobile computer to scan her or his barcoded employee badge to initiate the session, confirming the identity of the caregiver and that he or she is licensed and authorized to perform the specific treatment.
- The caregiver then scans the patient’s bar-coded wristband to confirm patient identity and, at the same time, records patient consent to the treatment.
- Scanning the patient’s wristband facilitates access to appropriate patient records, including the orders that prescribed the treatment in question.
- The caregiver then scans the barcode affixed to the equipment and or room utilized in the treatment.
These simple steps will ensure that, not only was the right treatment provided to the right patient at the right time in the right location by the right caregiver, but also automates record keeping that validates each of those critical elements. Because the mobile computer is linked wirelessly to the facility’s networks, all relevant validation data is integrated seamlessly into the appropriate records, and, because the mobile computer is portable and durable enough to remain on the caregiver’s person through her or his shift, the only tool required to complete this simple scheme as always at hand.
As the Zebra white paper notes, similar procedures can ensure delivery of the Five Rights, whether the caregiver is a member of a surgical team, a physical therapist, a radiology technician, or any other healthcare professional.