Barcode system to cut errors

The anaesthetists at Palmerston North Hospital are going hi-tech with a new barcode scanning system as part of MidCentral District Health Board's move to a paperless system. The SAFERsleep system, which is where medication is delivered in barcoded syringes and scanned into the system, will provide anaesthetists with visual and audio confirmation of what drug is being used before it is administered. DHB medical head anaesthetist Dr Alberto Ramirez, who is co-ordinating the project, said it would "improve the quality of care" for patients with better quality and accuracy of records and also reduce the number of errors with drugs.