Overcoming Bar Code Medication Administration Scanning Challenges in the Emergency Department

Background: Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) scanning is a globally accepted technology. However, many clinicians do not understand the requirements as a metric for nursing quality and safety behind the BCMA process. Objective: The aim of this Quality Improvement (Q.I.) project is to improve the BCMA scanning compliance, to identify the percentage of noncompliance, along with the numbers representing the percentage and to raise awareness of the challenges of using BCMA in the Emergency Department setting. Methodology: The Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle was used to plan, test, and observe the results of this Q.I. project. This report followed the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE V.2.0) publication guidelines. Results: Following a series of PDSA cycle implementations over an 18-month period, BCMA scanning rates for patients were increased to 93%, and medication scanning was increased to 94%, with an overall increase of 33% and 34%, respectively. Timely documentation improved by 18%, which accounted for a total of 96% compliance. Conclusion and Recommendations: Leadership involvement, nursing workflow monitoring of BCMA safety, as well as staff accountability and recognition, were crucial factors in improving the overall compliance rate. Suggestions to improve scanning safety include modifying the dashboard and highlighting the noncompliance scanning percentage along with actual numbers to raise awareness among clinicians. Organizations need to implement ongoing monitoring, continued training, and education, along with improvements and modifications.