Effects of bar coding on a pharmacy stock replenishment system

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Informatics
• Supply Chain Management

Background:

• Manual paper-based stock ordering systems in hospital pharmacies are time-consuming.
• Inefficiencies in manual systems can lead to errors and delays in inventory management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the time demands and error rates of a bar-code stock ordering system versus a manual paper system.
• To evaluate the impact of bar-code technology on hospital pharmacy inventory processes.

Main Methods:

• A bar-code system (Trakker 9440 transaction manager with scanner) was implemented in ambulatory-care and sterile products pharmacy areas.
• Direct observation recorded time for information gathering and data transfer.
• Error rates were determined by comparing order information with computer-generated pick lists.
• Self-reporting captured time spent on replacing out-of-stock items.

Main Results:

• The bar-code system significantly reduced the time required for stock ordering and data transfer to the pharmacy inventory computer.
• The study quantified overall time demands, indicating improved efficiency with the bar-code system.
• Error rates associated with each system were determined, with bar-code system expected to show improvement.

Conclusions:

• Bar-code stock ordering systems offer significant time savings in hospital pharmacy operations.
• Electronic data transfer via bar-code technology streamlines inventory management.
• Implementation of bar-code systems can enhance overall pharmacy efficiency and potentially reduce errors.