Nurses’ Perceptions of Bar Code Medication Administration Best Practices to Increase Bar Code Scanning Rates in a Mental Health Setting
Date
2017-08-28
Authors
Xie, Ningshi
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Abstract
As barcode medication administration (BCMA) technologies emerge as a potential solution to decrease medication administration errors, there is little evidence on how to ensure high levels of BCMA compliance in the form of scanning rates in mental health settings.
After performing a literature review of existing best practices to increase BCMA compliance and a review of organizational BCMA data for the largest mental health and addictions research and teaching hospital in Canada, ten interviews were conducted with inpatient nurses to understand their perceptions of how the best practices may be implemented to increase BCMA scanning rates.
Interview analysis was performed using a conventional content analysis approach, resulting in the identification of five themes: clinical workflow, safety, education, accountability, and strategies for BCMA compliance. Recommendations to increase BCMA compliance in this context include: reduce workarounds, implement a device strategy, establish a multi-faceted education approach, demonstrate leadership commitment, empower nurses, and maintain ongoing evaluation of compliance.
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Bar Code Medication Administration, Nursing, Mental Health, Bar code scanning