Healthcare barcodes are part of our digital future By GS1 Healthcare
What could barcodes mean to the future of healthcare and what role could they play in a world of increasing digitalisation? The answer is surprising and exciting. arcodes have been an essential part of packaging for nearly 50 years. They are an integral part of our everyday life, including during healthcare provision. The barcode is a fundamental healthcare tool – but not just any barcode. Standardised barcodes contain standardised information so that everyone knows the rules for how to read and process the symbol. Today, many jurisdictions require regulated healthcare product packaging to include a globally standardised GS1 barcode that is used to enable product identification, traceability, verification of authenticity and, most importantly, to facilitate
30.
patient safety actions. It is commonplace in many countries and healthcare settings to see product barcodes scanned by caregivers at the point of medicine dispensing or administration or to record healthcare actions in patient records. For brand owners, barcodes are increasingly contributing to sales and marketing activities and are unlocking the ability for patients and caregivers to access additional information about a product – electronically. There is no question that the barcode is a necessary and important part of packaging design, and it would be highly detrimental to not have globally standardised barcodes on healthcare product packaging.
packagingbirmingham.com | packaging-london.com
Types of barcodes We see different types of barcodes on healthcare products. On some healthcare products, we see the familiar one-dimensional barcode that goes beep at the checkout. This contains only a globally unique identification number, which is a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). On higher risk products, we see either the GS1 DataMatrix or a linear barcode called GS1-128. These symbols contain the GTIN plus data such as the batch/lot number, serial number and an expiry date. This extra information is critical for accurate dispensing, recording of data in medical records and traceability and stock management, all of which contribute directly to patient safety.
