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Improving Staff Experience With Vaccine Data Entry With 2D Barcode Scanning
Heather V Evanson1, Jenica Huddleston Reed, Regina Cox
1Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Virginia (Ms Evanson); Deloitte Consulting LLP, Sacramento, California (Dr Reed); Deloitte Consulting LLP, Atlanta, Georgia (Ms Cox); Deloitte Consulting LLP, Denver, Colorado (when work was completed) (Dr Clinthorne); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Immunization Services Division, Atlanta, Georgia (Messrs Williams and Gerlach); Pediatrics & Dermatology Sutter Medical Group, Davis, California (Dr Vallero); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance, Surveillance and Data Branch, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Rodgers); Deloitte Consulting LLP, Boston, Massachusetts (Mr Greene); and Deloitte Consulting LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dr Koeppl).
Background:
Small fonts on vaccine labels make manually recording vaccine data in patient records time-consuming and challenging. Vaccine 2-dimensional (2D) barcode scanning is a promising alternative to manually recording these data.
Problem:
While vaccine 2D barcode scanning assists in data entry, adoption of scanning technology is still low.
Approach:
Pilot sites (n = 27) within a health system scanned 2D barcodes to record vaccine data for 6 months. The time to record through scanning and nonscanning methods was measured for 13 vaccinators at 9 sites. A survey was administered to participants across all sites about their experience.
Outcomes:
On average, 22 seconds were saved per vaccine scanned versus entered manually (7 vs 29 seconds, respectively). Participants reported preference for scanning over other vaccine entry options and identified benefits of scanning.
Conclusion:
Expanded use of 2D barcode scanning can meaningfully improve clinical practices by improving efficiency and staff satisfaction during vaccine data entry.
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