Invented over 60 years ago, graphic elements in the form of bars and spaces are used in most industries around the world. In retail, the EAN/UPC system has been used for almost 30 years, and this is the type of code placed on product packaging to facilitate wholesale and retail trade. A barcode is a graphic way of representing data – it provides a simple, fast, and precise way to acquire and enter data. EAN/UPC barcodes allow for the encoding of identification numbers in accordance with GS1 system standards. Work on the creation and development of GS1 standards is conducted and supervised by GS1, headquartered in Brussels and the USA, along with 108 GS1 member organizations located in most countries around the world. GS1 is a leading global organization that implements global standards and solutions to improve supply chain processes and enable the tracking of the movement and origin of units on a global scale and in all sectors, including healthcare.
Improving logistics processes in a hospital
Hospital logistics encompasses all activities related to managing the flow of materials and patients, as well as the associated information, which support the primary process in a hospital – the patient treatment process. The main goals of hospital logistics, which guarantee a safe but also efficient treatment process from the hospital’s perspective, include:
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managing patient flow during the treatment process in a way that enables efficient use of hospital resources and shortens the patient’s length of stay in the hospital
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delivery of medical and other materials, optimized for: reducing inventory, ensuring continuity of supply, and minimizing purchasing costs
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precise tracking of the flow of materials and patients through an electronic system for collecting, processing, and disseminating information.
As initial experiences show, by applying logistics solutions proven in other industries, it is possible to quickly improve the hospital’s logistics efficiency and reduce the facility’s operating costs, thereby freeing up financial resources for its primary activity – treating patients. It is estimated that expenditures necessary for material management alone can reach up to 15% of a hospital’s budget. Research results show that many European hospitals have managed to improve logistics in their facilities thanks to:
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computerizing the management process for medication and medical material inventory
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automatic registration of patients and medication consumption per patient
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electronic exchange of documents with suppliers of medications and medical materials
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electronic management of hospital resources (medical equipment, beds, building facilities).
From the perspective of patient safety and medication management in a hospital, increasing the efficiency of the first three processes is of the greatest importance.
Barcodes and Electronic Data Interchange in theory
A prerequisite for improving the processes of patient, medical staff, medication, medical material, and returnable asset flow, as well as location tracking within a hospital, is their unambiguous identification. For this purpose, global GS1 identifiers presented in the form of barcodes are used:
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identification of patients and medical staff – Global Service Relation Number (GSRN)
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identification of medications – Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)
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identification of returnable assets, including reusable medical equipment – Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI)
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identification of locations – Global Location Number (GLN)
The process of ordering medications and medical materials takes place based on the exchange of business messages electronically. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) involves the exchange of standard-formatted messages between the IT systems of trading partners with minimal human intervention. Possible EDI applications include orders, price lists, product catalogs, invoices, shipping notices, delivery receipt notifications, etc. The idea of EDI is to minimize human intervention in this exchange and allow employees to focus on performing their tasks instead of administrative functions. The use of electronic messages provides measurable benefits in the form of:
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information about product flow available to everyone, which enables strict planning of activities throughout the supply chain
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accurate and immediate inventory registration
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efficient product management within logistics processes
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100% accuracy in recording data regarding identification, serial numbers, and expiration dates on products
Thanks to the use of Automatic Data Collection and Electronic Data Interchange, a minimum level of inventory is maintained in the internal supply chain, between the central pharmacy and ward medicine cabinets.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 1/2008.