GS1 UK about FDA announcement
Bar codes on prescription drugs....
... will prevent deadly medical mistakes
UK association welcomes FDA adoption of global supply chain standards for pharmaceuticals
3 April 2003, London: A national campaign to prevent deadly medical mistakes through prescription errors has received a major boost from across the Atlantic.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement to introduce bar codes on prescription drugs in its drive to improve patient safety, has been welcomed by GS1 UK (formerly e.centre UK), the UK’s foremost authority on global supply chain management and electronic business standards.
GS1 UK, a not-for-profit organisation, is hoping the FDA ruling to adopt the EAN.UCC System as its single global standard for identifying pharmaceuticals in the US, will support its campaign for standardised bar coding throughout the NHS. Healthcare organisations in the UK currently use a wide range of systems to identify their products, an approach GS1 UK claims, puts patients at risk and leads to increased supply chain costs. Studies have shown that improved information systems such as bar coding result in a 70 per cent reduction in medication error rates.
The across the board regulation applying to pharmaceuticals in the US will require prescription and over the counter drugs to bear EAN.UCC codes including the unique identifying information about the drug in a linear bar code as part of the drug label. GS1 UK believes that it is this certainty of identification and the ability to track and trace healthcare products using a unified global standard from the manufacturer right through the supply chain to the patient, which will lead to fewer adverse events and provide substantial cost and time savings throughout the NHS.
“We have been working closely with senior NHS officials over a number of months regarding the adoption of EAN.UCC item identifiers throughout the health service,” commented GS1 UK's chief executive Steve Coussins. “Pharmaceutical products are a key target for us and although there is significant use of EAN.UCC standards by the large drug manufacturers, there is limited usage among hospital and community pharmacies. GS1 UK will be campaigning to ensure that this important ruling by the FDA will pave the way to improved patient safety in the UK.”
Bar coding has already been adopted by the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA), the organisation representing the assistive technologies industry (medical devices and other aids to support independent living). BHTA joined forces with e.centre last December to encourage its members to adopt EAN.UCC standards throughout the industry.
Adverse events in healthcare...
...some facts and figures
10.8* per cent of patients in medical wards experience an adverse event. 10,000 hospital patients a year have serious adverse reactions to medicines. 315 cases of serious hazards in blood transfusions occurred in 2000-2001. The use of a system that includes bar coding and the use of a hand held laser bar code scanner and radio computer link could help lead to a 70% reduction in medication error rates.
*Source of information:
- Pharmacy at The Royal London Hospital
- US Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, ‘Bar code label requirements for human drug product and blood’, 13.03.03
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