With that in mind, a
medication labeling
system can be an
extremely useful
accessory. Whether
it's a stand-alone unit
on an anesthesia stor-
age cart that scans
the bar codes of drug
vials ("I want one of
these!" says Dr.
Friedman) or a fea-
ture integrated into
an automated drug
dispenser, a system
that prints out highly
readable adhesive
labels for each syringe saves time while making safety a certainty.
If your budget's tight, however, there are other options for maintain-
ing medication labeling standards. Sheets or rolls of labels pre-printed
with drug names and strengths, with space for writing the preparation
variables, and pre-filled, pre-packaged, pre-labeled sterile syringes in
standard doses and concentrations are but 2 options.
Either way, says Dr. Stanfield, it is "penny-wise and pound-foolish"
to painstakingly count costs on your medication budget if you're
going to neglect labeling's potential impact on your turnover time.
OSM
8 2
O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | February 2015
z SCAN AND STICK Medication labeling
systems make safe handling automatic.
E-mail dbernard@outpatientsurgery.net.
