CentraState Medical Center is on the leading edge of community hospitals using bar-coding technology to reduce medication errors. It is one of only two hospitals in New Jersey using the Pharmacy/Medication Administration Check system (Pharmacy/MAK) developed by Siemens Medical Solutions and among the first nationwide to use this system for both inpatients and outpatients. Only 9.5 percent of hospitals nationwide have adopted bar-code point-of-care technology to prevent medication errors as of 2005, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

CentraState invested more than $1 million in the Pharmacy/MAK system, including the purchase of more than 70 custom-designed mobile computers-at- the-bedside or CABs.

According to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, at least 400,000 preventable injuries and deaths occur in U.S. hospitals each year due to medication errors.

"Pharmacy/MAK helps ensure the 'five rights' of medication administration: the right medication, administered to the right patient, in the right dose, at the right time, via the right delivery system -- injection, orally or intravenously," explains Linda Geisler, RN, vice president, Patient Services, CentraState Medical Center.

When pharmacists fill a prescription ordered by a physician, the Pharmacy/MAK computer system checks the patient's medical record for possible conflicts such as allergies or interactions with other medicines. An alert pops up on the computer monitor if a problem is detected.

In hospital rooms, nurses use CABs with wireless laptop computers and electronic scanners to help administer medication. After scanning her own ID badge to access patient information, a nurse scans a bar code on the medication and the patient's wristband so the computer can verify the "five rights." If a problem is detected, the computer immediately alerts the nurse.

CentraState Healthcare System is a non-profit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, three senior living communities, a health education and activities center, a family medicine residency program, and a charitable foundation. It is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network and a clinical research affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Source: CentraState Healthcare System

Web site: http://www.centrastate.com/