Facilitators and Barriers Associated With the Use of Barcode Technologies in Drug Preparation and Administration in Hospital Settings-A Narrative Review of Qualitative Studies.
Sini Kuitunen, Laura Laakkonen, Katja Janhunen, Kirsi Kvarnström, Carita Linden-Lahti
{"title":"Facilitators and Barriers Associated With the Use of Barcode Technologies in Drug Preparation and Administration in Hospital Settings-A Narrative Review of Qualitative Studies.","authors":"Sini Kuitunen, Laura Laakkonen, Katja Janhunen, Kirsi Kvarnström, Carita Linden-Lahti","doi":"10.1097/PTS.0000000000001381","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Barcode technologies are commonly used in hospital settings to improve medication safety. However, the implementation of these systems poses several challenges. This narrative review aims to synthesize qualitative studies exploring the facilitators and barriers associated with using barcode technologies in clinical environments.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This review is grounded in the theory of systems-based risk management. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in November 2022 across 3 databases: CINAHL; MEDLINE (Ovid); and Scopus. Two independent reviewers utilized a predetermined SPIDER (Sample; Phenomenon of Interest; Design; Evaluation; Research type) tool for article selection by using Covidence software. The qualitative data from the selected studies were systematically summarized.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The search found 197 articles, of which 11 studies from 6 countries met the inclusion criteria. All included studies identified barriers, while 7 studies also highlighted facilitators. Seven common themes emerged as facilitators and barriers: efficacy; implementation; leadership; medication safety; process; technology; and user experience. Three themes-materials; system design; and work environment-were exclusively associated with barriers. Workarounds, such as bypassing barcoding, omitting process steps, and unauthorized process steps, were reported in 8 studies as responses to the barriers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This review underscores the complexity of implementing and maintaining high-leverage, technology-based systemic defenses in clinical practice. The findings provide a foundation for the improvement of the safety and usability of barcode technologies in hospital settings. Future research should focus on developing and testing interventions that address the identified barriers and enhance the facilitators to optimize the use of barcode systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":48901,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Patient Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Patient Safety","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000001381","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Barcode technologies are commonly used in hospital settings to improve medication safety. However, the implementation of these systems poses several challenges. This narrative review aims to synthesize qualitative studies exploring the facilitators and barriers associated with using barcode technologies in clinical environments.
Methods: This review is grounded in the theory of systems-based risk management. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in November 2022 across 3 databases: CINAHL; MEDLINE (Ovid); and Scopus. Two independent reviewers utilized a predetermined SPIDER (Sample; Phenomenon of Interest; Design; Evaluation; Research type) tool for article selection by using Covidence software. The qualitative data from the selected studies were systematically summarized.
Results: The search found 197 articles, of which 11 studies from 6 countries met the inclusion criteria. All included studies identified barriers, while 7 studies also highlighted facilitators. Seven common themes emerged as facilitators and barriers: efficacy; implementation; leadership; medication safety; process; technology; and user experience. Three themes-materials; system design; and work environment-were exclusively associated with barriers. Workarounds, such as bypassing barcoding, omitting process steps, and unauthorized process steps, were reported in 8 studies as responses to the barriers.
Conclusions: This review underscores the complexity of implementing and maintaining high-leverage, technology-based systemic defenses in clinical practice. The findings provide a foundation for the improvement of the safety and usability of barcode technologies in hospital settings. Future research should focus on developing and testing interventions that address the identified barriers and enhance the facilitators to optimize the use of barcode systems.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Patient Safety (ISSN 1549-8417; online ISSN 1549-8425) is dedicated to presenting research advances and field applications in every area of patient safety. While Journal of Patient Safety has a research emphasis, it also publishes articles describing near-miss opportunities, system modifications that are barriers to error, and the impact of regulatory changes on healthcare delivery. This mix of research and real-world findings makes Journal of Patient Safety a valuable resource across the breadth of health professions and from bench to bedside.