Can bar codes save lives?
Responding to the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 1999 report that medical errors may contribute to the deaths of between 44,000 and 98,000 people each year, the agency is considering requiring bar codes on all human drug and biologic products, and possibly medical devices. In its report, IOM suggested that the healthcare industry produce bar coded unit-dose packages to reduce handling errors. FDA is taking that suggestion seriously. “Errors related to dispensing and administration can be minimized through the use of bar codes,” FDA wrote in its June 18 Federal Register notice. “If a health professional could use a scanner to compare the bar code on a human drug product to a specific patient’s drug regimen, [he or she] would be able to verify the right patient is receiving the right drug, at the right dose, and at the right time.” Aware that bar coding each dose requires significant investment, FDA has called a public meeting on July 26. It plans to pose some tough questions: Should all
