Reduce Specimen Misidentification Errors With Bar Code Point Of Care Labeling

According to the College of American Pathologists (CAP), approximately 169,000 adverse events occur in U.S. hospitals annually due to sample identification errors, with 55% of all specimen ID errors stemming from a primary specimen labeling error. Acknowledging this risk, one of the Joint Commission’s top National Patient Safety Goal’s standards is to “label containers used for blood and other specimens in the presence of the patient.”

Although hospitals are aware of these vulnerabilities, many of them still print specimen labels at designated nursing or printing stations, instead of at the direct point of care such as a patient’s bedside. As a result, distractions and interruptions can occur which can lead to identification and medical errors. In addition, other hospitals still use handwritten specimen labels which can be documented incorrectly or misread. Automating the manual process through bar code technology prevents human errors and increases workflow efficiency.

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