This technology helps to ensure that the right drug and right dose are dispensed from the pharmacy?

AIIMS Raipur NO - 2019 (Shift-2)

Health Information and Technology (Basic Computer)

Easy

Appeared in: AIIMS Raipur NO - 2019 (Shift-2)

Explanation

Bar-coding technology is used to electronically verify medications against a prescription at multiple points.
In the pharmacy, scanning the barcode on a medication package confirms that the selected drug and strength match the electronic order, ensuring the 'right drug' and 'right dose'.
This system is a key component of Bar-Code Medication Administration (BCMA), which extends safety checks to the patient's bedside.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires barcodes for all prescription and over-the-counter medications to enhance safety.
Scanning barcodes significantly reduces medication errors that can occur during dispensing and administration.

Option A: Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) is primarily a tracking technology for inventory or equipment location, not for verifying the specific drug and dose against a patient's prescription at the point of dispensing.
Option B: Transcription is the manual process of copying medication orders, which is a known source of errors, not a technology that prevents them.
Option D: A prescription is the order for the medication. It is the document or electronic record that needs to be verified, not the technology that performs the verification.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Medication safety technology in pharmacy dispensing helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Bar-coding is a cornerstone of modern medication safety, directly supporting the 'Five Rights' (or more) of medication administration.
Nurses must never become complacent with technology. Always use clinical judgment. If a barcode scan produces an alert, the nurse's responsibility is to stop, investigate the discrepancy, and resolve it before administering the medication. Overriding alerts without proper verification can lead to serious patient harm.
What if? If a medication's barcode is damaged or fails to scan, the nurse should not 'work around' the system by manually documenting. The correct action is to contact the pharmacy for a properly labeled medication to ensure the safety check is completed.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the question's core requirement: a 'technology' that 'ensures' the 'right drug' and 'right dose' from the 'pharmacy'.
Evaluate each option against these keywords. 'Transcription' and 'Prescription' are processes or documents, not verification technologies. This eliminates them.
Compare the remaining technologies: 'Radiofrequency identifier' and 'Bar-coding'.
Recall or deduce the common application of each. Bar-coding is widely known for its use in retail and healthcare for item-level verification (scanning a product at checkout). RFID is more for tracking and location.
Conclude that bar-coding directly matches the function of verifying a specific item (the drug) and its details (the dose) against an order during the dispensing process.
Therefore, select 'Bar-coding' as the technology specifically designed for this safety check.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 1 pp. 83-85, 84-86

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 3 p. 147-149