With heightened concern about medical errors, many hospitals are looking to information technology (IT) as a means to enhance patient safety, with specific emphasis on medication-use safety. Such technology may also help an organization meet accreditation requirements related to patient safety.

Bar-code-enabled point-of-care systems, at the most basic level, help to verify the right drug is being administered to the right patient in the right dose by the right route at the right time. The principles behind bar coding suggest that errors leading to patient harm could be significantly reduced through the effective use of this technology.

CIMRO of Nebraska provides assistance to a limited number of Nebraska hospitals in the adoption and use of bar coding. 

For quality improvement information and strategies, please visit the Bar Coding Documents and Links section.