Two European pharmaceutical trade associations have called for the wider application of barcodes to include individual dose identification.
New guidance published on 7 September by the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries & Associations (EFPIA) supports the utilisation of barcodes to individual doses, marking an expansion to the current framework that places them on multi-packs of medication.
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As per the initiative, all new products would feature barcodes on each single unit dose of medication from 2031, with retro application to existing medicines occurring gradually.
Since 2019, barcodes have become required on prescription and certain over the counter (OTC) medicines sold within the European Union (EU). The unique identifier contains important information such as a product code, batch number, and expiry date. The move is just one of the avenues in which dispensing is becoming increasingly digitised.
Their implementation over the past decade was partly in response to errors in dispensing medication in hospitals. Administering the wrong medication, or even correct medicine at the incorrect dose, can lead to increases in illness and, in some cases, death. Such errors can also lead to longer hospital stays, avoidable readmissions and higher costs.
EAHP and EFPIA highlight studies by pharmacists showing that bedside scanning of barcodes can significantly reduce medication errors by between 30% and 60%. The two associations say its single unit proposal will go some way in extending this reduction, along with increasing patient safety and hospital efficiency.
Medication is often packaged with multi-pack fashion, allowing doses to be separated and administered to single patients. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that printing barcodes onto individual doses could slash error rates by 41%. Products such as vials, pre-filled syringes, and pens, among others, will fall within the new framework.
If challenges surrounding pack dimension and manufacturer investment can be overcome, the potential use cases of the initiative include bedside scanning and entry of medication into electronic patient records.
EFPIA’s director general Nathalie Moll said: “Over the next five years, all new medicines will include a barcode on every dose. This will support better use of healthcare resources, including healthcare professionals’ time, and will deliver real advances in patient care.”
