Using observation, eye tracking, and clinical simulation with embedded errors, we studied the impact of bar-code verification on error identification and recovery during medication administration. Data supported that bar-code verification may reduce but does not eliminate patient identification (ID) and medication errors during clinical simulation of medication administration.

Pieter J. Helmons, PHarm.D., is Pharmacoeconomics Specialist, Department of Pharmacy, University of California San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center, San Diego; at the time of this study he was a Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, La Jolla. linDsay n. Wargel, PHarm.D., is Clinical Pharmacist, UCSD Medical Center; at the time of this study she was Postgrad...

adi it ion ally, zero crossings of the second derivative provide edge features for the classification of blurred waveforms. The accuracy of these edge features deteriorates in the case of severely blurred images. In this paper, a new feature is presented that is more resistant to the blurring process, the image, and waveform peaks. In addition, an estimate of the standard deviation of the blurr...

Abstract Bar code reconstruction involves recovering a clean signal from an observed one that is corrupted by convolution with a kernel and additive noise. The precise form of the convolution kernel is also unknown, making reconstruction harder than in the case of standard deblurring. On the other hand, bar codes are functions that have a very special form – this makes reconstruction feasible. ...

BACKGROUND In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a new rule requiring most prescription and some over-the-counter pharmaceutical products to carry bar codes down to the level of individual doses, with the intent of reducing the number of medication errors. Despite these regulatory changes in the United States, Health Canada has not yet adopted any mandatory bar-coding of drugs. ...