EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Methods of labeling medical equipment

Wishing you all well,

I'm interested in hearing from hospitals who have gone over to using Bar-Codes for labeling their medical equipment as part of a logging system for the medical equipment database.
At present we use a printed numeric label which we stick on the equipment.
I'm not totally convinced that the bar-coding has huge advantages over a numeric manual system as a form of entering equipment into a database or generating an equipment query.
Or is anybody using any other form of labeling system which they feel is superior to those mentioned above?

I would be very greatful for your comments.

Regards,
Kam

We have labelled our equipment with code 39 bar code labels. The labels also contain the asset number and the Trust name. We use DYMO type machines to produce them, there not brilliant quality, but they seem to survive ok, and it's a portable system. Our electrical safety testers all have bar code readers, which saves us having to type asset numbers in.
I wouldn't introduce a labelling system without them. Most portable capture units will require them so be prepared for the future!

We use a Brother Barcode labelling machine which prints the Dept details, barcode, and control number. The labels are plastic coated and durable but do get grubby and require replacement occasionally depending on the area and equipment.

We did use a barcode scanner with our IEC601's but don't have a paperless system, and the scanner is no longer used.

We have been using bar coded labels for about 6 years now and never use the bar code. The labels are produced from the Estates WIMS system, and I would imagine someone had the bright idea that one day we would all have hand-held scanners to read the bar code, but it never happened and I'm sure it never will.

In my view, bar code labes should be part of an efficient inventory/equipment management system, probably using palm organizer's. If not you are wasting your time.

Like John we have been using Brother labels for a while. Not fantastic but OK.

I can't see any reason why not to put a bar code on. We don't read them either but they look impressive and when a nurse is on the phone it's easy to get her/him to look for the "bright red bar code label".

When I upgrade our system I will have bar codes on the kit, on the pieces of paper, on the guys foreheads and (already have) on the staff ID badges. Must be the way forward.

As an aside I decided to put the minimum info on the label. We have changed our hospital and departmental names and phones several times over the life of some kit. So we just put "Rotherham Health" and the ID as barcode and readable.

We have used bar code labels, 33 printed on a sheet, that identifies the asset number and who to contact for maintenance. The bar code has not been used, just one of those things that may be useful (not)

Our bar code labels have the number represented printed on them so you can record it manually. The plan was to use bar code readers to automatically record safety test results etc and log equipment into and out of the department. The computerised inventory system never got developed that far and we've just changed to a different system which should be able to deal with bar codes - but we'll see.

Knowing our luck, the codes we've used will be in the wrong format !

Guys (and Gals) - just to resurrect this topic for a brief moment (please forgive) .. but this follows on from Roy's final post ..

We are currently engaging with a flow-meter manufacturer to produce bar-coding on our NEW (400 or so) flow-meters. We are having some problems with them largely to do with Production incompetence and promises made by Sales that they seem un-able (or un-willing) to fulfill.

That's another story .. (grrr)

However, (before climbing onto my soapbox about that!) as we now understand it NHS PASA are recommending standardisation on one type of bar-code format [EAN.UCC] and this is creating a little problem for us.

The problem being the symbology is quite 'wide' physically - fine for boxes and packaging, but for equipment not so convenient. We would have preferred Code 39, for example, but alas.

For a detailed explanation:

http://www.pasa.nhs.uk/eprocurement/bar_coding/Barcoding_position_statement_5oct2004.doc

or FAQ:

http://www.pasa.nhs.uk/eprocurement/bar_coding/FAQ_on_PASA_statement_for_bar_coding.doc

My key question is, as experienced NHS users out there - have you encountered manufacturer barcoded equipment?

Now obviously our manufacturer wants to follow the recommended standard, but if it doesn't work for us directly on equipment, it's a non-starter.

It is however a significant decision, as like many of you out there, once we go down this route, we don't want to have to retract, so any feedback welcome.

You will see from the link above, PASA are fairly clear on the standard they want everyone to adopt (see section 5.1).
So sorry, Roy my friend, your fears may be realised :-(

Should this also apply to our own (in-house) bar-coding methodology, even though it is not a PASA "policy"?

C.

A long, long time ago, in another place, we went over to a new labelling system and decided to add barcodes even though we would not use them immediately but we thought it would make the labels future proof.
At a later date we got some barcode scanners that added in between the keyboard and PC to make data entry easy and typo proof.
We then discovered a check sum hidden at the end of the barcode, so it differed from the visual number that was bar-coded. This number had already been entered manually in to the database. This made any scanning impossible to use with the existing data. And if you scanned the bar code in to add a new asset, you could not guess at the checksum if you were using a non-scanner keyboard to access the database.
At the time we were using the scanners to enter the serial numbers from Alaris (IVAC) pumps as we had hundreds of new ones to add to the database. Again the visible numbers differed slightly from the scanned ones. Again to do with checksums.
Take great care with barcodes and the visible data it represents.
The scanners we used were chosen as they read many barcode formats and converted them to data as if they had been entered manually on the keyboard so we did not have to worry about the database -We thought. However the scanners added a carriage return at the end of the data which upset some of the database fields. This could not be configged out.
Barcodes are a good idea but need to be implemented carefully. Learn from our mistakes.
Robert

Has any one try out the new Seaward / Rigel Braincell scanner to keep an eye on all there equipment.

A.M