Hospital activity. Barred facts

Barcode technology is applicable to a number of crucial management issues in the NHS, including internal efficiency, contract pricing and the effectiveness of care. Its enormous potential lies in the ability to record in detail over a number of dimensions such as time, staff group, patient type, and cost. But the effort involved is considerable. Projects have to be actively managed, users have to be willing participants and data has to be analysed. Where short cuts have been sought, projects have failed to deliver their full potential. The data is merely a means to an end, but a very powerful one. It brings together people who may normally work independently, and the process of collecting barcode data is a perfect mechanism for bringing together the patient, the professional and the purse strings.