Letter from the Chief Medical Officer
Dear Colleagues:
Several years back, we set out to implement bar code technology for medication administration at BWH to ensure patient safety. If supermarkets could put a bar code on a box of Cheerio’s, we certainly could do the same on a medication.
I am proud and humbled to know that we have reduced errors and saved lives at BWH through this technology. But what’s more humbling is knowing how BWH has set the national standard with barcoding and continues to lead the way in patient safety.
Eric Poon’s recent study documents the effects of bar code technology on pharmacy dispensing errors and adverse drug events and represents the latest confirmation that our efforts to keep patients safe with cutting-edge technology are working. Poon’s study, and a previous study published by BWH authors including Tejal Gandhi in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, show that targeted pharmacy dispensing errors have been cut down by 85 percent, and potential adverse drug events by 63 percent.
This achievement provides a tremendous safeguard for our patients, as this hospital administers a dose of medication every five seconds or 6.2 million doses per year.
Bar code technology is an important component of our landmark electronic medication administration system, which has received much national recognition during the past few years. As other hospitals are stepping up efforts to improve patient safety, they are looking to our system as an example. Among other staff and physicians, Bill Churchill, director of Pharmacy, has been in demand to present on eMAR and the Pharmacy’s unique drug repackaging center across the country and even in Europe. Anne Bane, RN, also has been on the national podium discussing her role as the lead nurse trainer for the implementation of eMAR.
As a hospital, we have received many awards for eMAR, including the first Betsy Lehman Patient Safety Recognition Award in 2005 and the 2006 National Quality Health Care Award, which praised eMAR and other cutting edge technologies and innovative systems at BWH. In addition, InfoWorld magazine named eMAR among its 100 best projects of 2005.
The true reward, of course, is knowing that our efforts are keeping patients safe.
Sincerely,
Andy Whittemore, MD
Chief Medical Officer