Location
Turner Gymnasium
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Presentation Type
Printed poster
Entry Number
23
Start Date
4-16-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
4-16-2026 1:15 PM
School
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
Nursing
Keywords
medication administration errors, barcode scanning technology, patient safety, five rights of medication administration
Abstract
Medication Administration errors have become increasingly more common in hospitalized adults and are a major concern for patient safety and quality of care. These errors are described as a preventable event in which a patient receives the wrong medication, an inappropriate dose, by an incorrect route, at the wrong time, or the medication is administered to the wrong patient. The introduction of barcode scanning technology has become an effective nursing intervention to reduce these errors. This literature review focuses on research published between 2020 and 2025, highlighting evidence from both quantitative and qualitative studies to provide a comprehensive overview of safe medication administration and its impact on reducing errors. The analysis reveals that the use of electronic barcode scanning technology consistently leads to a decreased amount of medication administration errors. Across the reviewed studies, common themes include significant improvements in dosage accuracy, the correct selection of medication route, and proper identification of the patient. The literature also indicated an overall increased adherence to safe medication practices, supporting the positive impact barcode scanning technology has had on patient safety. Furthermore, the greatest improvement in safe medication administration was the combination of barcode scanning along with nurses verifying the five rights of medication administration. Collectively, these studies demonstrate improved accuracy of medication administration and enhanced patient safety, supporting the integration of barcode scanning as standard practice in the hospital setting alongside the established five rights of medication safety.
Primary Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Susan Braud
Primary Faculty Mentor(s) Department
Nursing
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Preventing Medication Administration Errors
Turner Gymnasium
Medication Administration errors have become increasingly more common in hospitalized adults and are a major concern for patient safety and quality of care. These errors are described as a preventable event in which a patient receives the wrong medication, an inappropriate dose, by an incorrect route, at the wrong time, or the medication is administered to the wrong patient. The introduction of barcode scanning technology has become an effective nursing intervention to reduce these errors. This literature review focuses on research published between 2020 and 2025, highlighting evidence from both quantitative and qualitative studies to provide a comprehensive overview of safe medication administration and its impact on reducing errors. The analysis reveals that the use of electronic barcode scanning technology consistently leads to a decreased amount of medication administration errors. Across the reviewed studies, common themes include significant improvements in dosage accuracy, the correct selection of medication route, and proper identification of the patient. The literature also indicated an overall increased adherence to safe medication practices, supporting the positive impact barcode scanning technology has had on patient safety. Furthermore, the greatest improvement in safe medication administration was the combination of barcode scanning along with nurses verifying the five rights of medication administration. Collectively, these studies demonstrate improved accuracy of medication administration and enhanced patient safety, supporting the integration of barcode scanning as standard practice in the hospital setting alongside the established five rights of medication safety.