Qi |= Bar Code Technology Helps Reduce Medical Errors (NAPSA)—Aprescription for reducing medication errors using wireless networks and bar code technology is helping to protect patients in hospitals across the nation. Thefirst hospital in the nation to implement the Siemens Medical Solutions Med Administration Check is the Danville Regional Health System in Danville, Virginia. When Danville deployed the system in a 38-bed acute care unit dispensing 350 to 450 medications each day to urology and nephrology patients, they saw some dramatic results. On that one unit, the system has averted an average of 12 potentially dangerous medication errors each month. Information released by the Institute of Medicine over the last two years reports that medication errors contribute to an estimated 7,000 deaths a year. The medication-use process is complex, involving numerous clinicians, and prone to written and verbal communication breakdown. Fortunately, computerized physician order entry, recommended by industry experts, can reduce the chance of error in the ordering process from 39 percent to 49 percent. Often overlooked is the opportunity to reduce serious medication errors in the administration process, where 26 percent to 38 percentof errors occur. mma: ali Reducing medication errors helps keep patients safer and medical costs down. Siemens Med Administration Check specifically targets medication administration, using bar code identification of drug and patient as a critical safeguard against medication errors at the point-ofcare. Simply put, it verifies the five “rights” of medication—the right medication, in the right dosage, at the right time, via the right route to the right patient. Siemens, the companythat created the technology, is a leading global electronics and engineering company, employing some 450,000 people in 193 countries. More information is available at www.smed.com.
