In the healthcare sector, the medication administration process requires meticulous attention and precision to prevent patient harm. Clinical prescriptions and treatments are critical in determining the correct medication route for patients, and any errors resulting from delays or omissions can be irreversible. Time-critical medicines (TCM) necessitate special consideration due to their sensitivity, as failure to administer them promptly could result in severe consequences. In the United States alone, medication errors cause the deaths of 7,000 to 9,000 people each year.
Medication administration errors can occur at various stages, including ordering, documenting, transcribing, dispensing, administering, and monitoring. Healthcare professionals often face heavy workloads, making human error a significant factor in medication process errors. Common mistakes include prescribing the wrong medication, administering the incorrect dosage, or providing an inappropriate frequency. Ordering errors, which account for nearly half of all medication errors, are identified by nurses and pharmacists as occurring at a rate of 30% to 70%. Despite the prevalence of these errors, many are preventable. Contributing factors include heavy workloads, poor handwriting, and lapses in follow-up, all exacerbated by workforce shortages in healthcare facilities.
To address these issues, the “six rights of safe medication administration” have been established: the right patient, the right medication, the right dose, the right time, the right route, and the right documentation.
TSC Auto ID offers linerless printing solutions to support the safety and quality of patient care, aiding healthcare professionals in optimising the medication administration process. This includes reducing human errors and expediting working time.
3 Approaches to Enhance Accuracy and Efficiency in Medication Administration: The TSC Auto ID Linerless Printing Solution
Easier Implementation on the Go
When hospital staff check patients at their bedside or collect samples from patients at the point of care, mobility and timely label printing are essential. Traditional label printing generates liner waste that requires proper disposal. In contrast, linerless label printing eliminates the production of liner rubbish that may risk contamination during the process. In addition, by eliminating the need for label peeling, hospital staff can implement the labelling process more easily.
Simplify Workflow for Versatile Applications
Linerless printers utilise a continuous roll for labelling, enabling them to meet on-demand sizing requirements for various hospital applications and minimise downtime. In the ordering and prescribing stages, hospital staff may need different lengths of medication labels depending on the type or form. For the documenting stage, patient file labelling is essential for organising and categorising patient records. Efficient and timely print and application of specimen labels are necessary during the sample collection stage. TSC Auto ID’s linerless printers enable healthcare workers to easily print different lengths of labels without changing media rolls, simplifying their workflow.
Enhance Medication Safety
Medication dispensing demands high accuracy and precision, particularly with product details, duration, strength, timing of doses, and other critical parameters. A linerless label printing solution can significantly support this process, effectively mitigating the risk of potential human errors. Illegible handwriting or any random handwritten mistake poses a substantial threat to patient health, making it imperative to adopt advanced labelling technologies.
Additionally, with sequential printing, linerless printers produce labels one by one instead of relying on batch printing. This approach offers a distinct advantage over traditional labels as it helps prevent human error and enhances accuracy by scrutinising each label individually. The repercussions of any oversight in the medication administration process can be significant, highlighting the need for the healthcare industry to adopt linerless printing solutions. Implementing such technologies is crucial to reducing medication errors and enhancing patient health and safety.
TSC Auto ID's linerless printing solution is designed to bolster healthcare facilities in upholding the six rights of safe medication administration, thereby contributing to an elevated standard of patient care. If you'd like to test drive our linerless printers, contact our sales representatives for more information.
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