Accurate patient identification is a cornerstone of safe and effective healthcare. One critical tool for this is the barcoded wristband – and a dependable scanner to read it with.
In this article, we’ll explore the role of wristband barcode scanners in bedside patient care, highlighting how they improve identification, streamline procedures, and reduce medical errors.
Let’s start by taking a look at common wristband barcode types. Then, we’ll dive into the real-world challenges of scanning them, and how the right scanning solution is vital for optimized patient care.
Components of a barcode wristband
Patient wristbands have to be tough: They must withstand fluids, daily wear, and other environmental factors. Soft synthetics and vinyl have proven to be moisture- and abrasion-resistant enough for these purposes.
Best practice for patient safety requires wristbands to show patient information in both human- and machine-readable forms. In particular, the full patient name, date of birth, gender, and unique identifiers, such as a patient ID, should be typed out and encoded in a barcode.
The barcode is printed directly on the wristband or on a tag attached to it. Both one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) barcode types are used for this purpose.
1D barcodes for patient identification
1D barcodes encode data as a series of black and white bars. On patient wristbands, Code 128 and Code 39 are in common use.
Code 39 is straightforward to generate and compatible with even older barcode scanner models. However, it requires a fairly large amount of space.
The newer Code 128 has a higher data density. This makes it the preferred choice when the wristbands need to be small, or when more information has to be encoded.
For both barcode types, proper formatting includes quiet zones – mandatory blank spaces on the left and right sides of the barcode – to ensure reliable scanning.
2D barcodes for patient identification
Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes encode data both vertically and horizontally in black and white pixels. This enables them to store much more information than 1D codes, usually in less space.
This is very useful in healthcare settings because they can encode comprehensive patient information, such as allergies, blood type, and admission details.
2D codes are also easier to scan, even from awkward angles or when damaged. This improves workflow efficiency and reduces scanning errors. They do, however, require more advanced barcode scanners than 1D codes.
Data Matrix, QR Code, and Aztec Code are the most common 2D barcodes seen on patient wristbands.
Why barcode wristbands are crucial
The usage of barcode wristbands in healthcare enhances patient safety as well as the accuracy and efficiency of various processes. It is a key tool for compliance with several regulations concerning patient safety, such as the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG).
Here is why barcode wristbands are essential for healthcare operations:
- Positive Patient Identification (PPID): PPID procedures entail that caregivers can accurately match patients to their health records. Barcoded wristbands are a cornerstone of PPID.
- Ensuring the “5 Rights” of Medication Administration: In Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA), PPID in the form of wristband scanning helps ensure the right patient receives the right medication.
- Facilitating access to patient information: Wristband barcodes linked to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) enable caregivers to access essential patient information immediately.
- Minimizing medical errors: BCMA and PPID with barcoded wristbands automate safety checks and provide instant access to accurate patient information. This prevents misidentification and other common sources of error, enhancing patient safety.
- Improving accuracy and reliability: Barcode scans are far more reliable than reading a tag’s text. Illegible handwriting on tags, in particular, is a major cause of misidentifications.
- Streamlining workflows: Wristband scanning speeds up patient ID and can also be used to update medical records in real time. This enhances patient safety, streamlines workflows, and lightens caregivers’ workload.
Challenges for wristband barcode scanners
While barcode wristbands are crucial for patient safety and efficiency, their characteristics and the specifics of healthcare settings present some unique challenges.
Barcode scanners have to perform reliably in the face of environmental factors – like lighting – the variety of barcodes, and ease of use.
Differing barcode types in healthcare operations
Barcodes are used for various healthcare operations. Apart from patient identification, this notably also includes medical device and lab specimen tracking. When investing in a barcode scanner solution, ensuring that it scans various 1D and 2D barcode types is thus crucial.
Bent barcodes
Wristband barcodes are often curved due to their placement on the patient’s arm. Unsophisticated barcode scanners expect codes to be in a straight line (for 1D barcodes) or flat (for 2D ones), and so often struggle to reliably read bent barcodes.
Patient factors
Given that patient mobility can be limited, wristband barcode scanners should scan rapidly and reliably, regardless of the angle.
Moreover, scanning barcodes from sleeping patients is much easier with barcode scanners capable of scanning from a distance.
Environmental and lighting factors
Lighting constantly changes in healthcare settings. Bright hospital lighting often causes glare and reflections, and bedside care at night means low lighting. Consequently, wristband barcode scanners must be capable of handling less-than-ideal lighting conditions.
Ease of use
Integrating barcode scanning into existing clinical workflows may cause disruptions and increase workload if it is awkward and time-consuming.
Unsuitable barcode scanners disrupt workflows and slow staff down. If scanning is too cumbersome, busy staff may even skip steps in the patient identification process, which can have fatal consequences.
Choosing a reliable wristband barcode scanner
Healthcare operators thus must consider carefully what kind of barcode scanner they provide to employees.
You can quickly integrate the Scanbot Barcode Scanner SDK into your web or mobile app. In this way, you can turn any ordinary smart device into a powerful, yet easy-to-use barcode scanner.
Thanks to the SDK’s enhanced image processing capabilities, it quickly and accurately scans damaged, curved, or blurry barcodes, even when they are tiny or far away, and regardless of low or bright lighting. It returns data in key-value pairs that are ideal for further processing in EHR systems.
As it exclusively uses on-device processing, the Scanbot Barcode Scanner doesn’t send data to any third-party servers. This ensures its compliance with data protection regulations such as HIPAA.
At the same time, this means that there is no usage tracking – the SDK comes under a fixed-price model, enabling unlimited scanning for a flat annual fee.
Request a quote today, or try our free barcode scanner demo apps to experience the SDK firsthand.
