Barcode scanning for medication administration is an important step when administering medications to verify the correct patient and medication as well as avoid potentially dangerous errors.1 Additionally, health systems are continually looking for ways to decrease hardware costs associated with procuring and maintaining needed devices, such as barcode scanners and additional workstations to support workflows and documentation needs.2 One way groups are looking to innovate and potentially reduce hardware and maintenance costs is to use mobile devices, such as a mobile phone or tablet, with applications such as Epic’s Rover, that can be carried with staff for documentation.2
To better understand how barcode scanning using a mobile device compares to traditional barcode scanning with a standalone device, we evaluated the rates of barcoded medication administration compliance for medication administrations documented using a mobile device in Rover and medication administrations completed using Hyperspace, Epic’s desktop application, which would use a standalone scanner. We studied 1.3 billion medication administrations completed using a computer and 232 million medication administrations completed using a mobile device between January 2021 and May 2024. We controlled for the department specialty where the medication administration occurred.
We found that compliance with BCMA was consistently higher when the medication administration was completed with a mobile device compared to medication administrations completed using a computer, as shown in Figure 1. Notably, the improved compliance rate with mobile documentation was greatest in emergency departments, which typically have lower compliance rates due to the emergent nature of care delivered in those settings. Barcoded medication administration compliance was 11.7 percentage points greater when medication administrations were completed using a mobile device in emergency departments, with an average 96.8% compliance for mobile device administrations compared to 85.1% of administrations completed using a computer. Medical/surgical and critical or intensive care departments showed smaller increases in compliance rates for mobile medication administrations.
These findings suggest that mobile devices capable of barcode scanning may improve BCMA rates, preventing additional potential medication administration errors.
