Release Date: July 2005
Expiration Date: July 31, 2006

NEEDS STATEMENT
Ever since the Institute of Medicine found in a 1999 report that approximately 98,000 patients died each year from medical errors in US hospitals—with 7,000 of those deaths directly attributable to medication errors—reducing the frequency of these mistakes has been a top priority. Healthcare organizations and governmental agencies also took notice of these statistics and have searched for ways to address the problem. The Food and Drug Administration, in a 2004 ruling, has mandated that most medications and biological products include a bar code on their labels. This rule will become fully enforceable in April 2006. With the due date quickly approaching, hospitals need to know how to go about introducing bar-code technology.

Education is the key to addressing concerns over incorporating bar-code technology into US hospitals. Although some expertise on instituting this new technology will likely come from the hospitals themselves, clinicians will mostly have to rely on continuing education to advance their knowledge of this rapidly approaching technology.

TARGET AUDIENCE
This activity is intended for physicians, pharmacists, and nurses who use or are interested in bar-code technology.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

1. Describe how bar-code technology may be used to reduce medication errors.
2. State the capabilities and limitations of available bar-code technology.
3. Identify key hospital personnel involved with point-of-care bar-code technology and their concerns with its implementation.
4. Discuss methods to evaluate needs and successfully implement bar-code technology in the hospital.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENTS
Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of AKH Inc. and McMahon Publishing Group. AKH Inc. is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. AKH Inc. designates this educational activity for a maximum 1.0 category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity.

Pharmacy: AKH Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This program has been assigned the ACPE Universal Program Number 077-999-05-025-H04 and is acceptable for 1.0 contact hours (0.1 CEUs) in states that recognize ACPE-approved providers.

Nursing: This educational activity for 1.2 contact hours (0.12 CEU) is provided by AKH Inc. AKH Inc. is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST STATEMENT
AKH Inc. and their shareholders have no significant financial relationships with the manufacturers of medical or pharmaceutical products, nor with the providers of noneducational medical services. It is the policy of AKH Inc. to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, scientific rigor, and integrity in all of their continuing education activities. The faculty must disclose to the participants any personal relationships with the commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in this course or with the commercial supporter of this continuing education activity.

DISCLAIMER
This course is designed solely to provide the healthcare professional with information to assist in his/her practice and professional development and is not to be considered a diagnostic tool to replace professional advice or treatment. The course serves as a general guide to the healthcare professional, and therefore cannot be considered as giving legal, nursing, medical, or other professional advice in specific cases. AKH Inc., the author(s), and the publisher specifically disclaim responsibility for any adverse consequences resulting directly or indirectly from information in the course; for undetected error; or through the reader's misunderstanding of the course.

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE
This educational activity does not contain discussion of unapproved/investigative uses of a commercial product/device.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION
This activity should take approximately 60 minutes to complete. There are no fees for participating in and receiving credit for this activity. The participant should, in order, read the objectives and monograph, answer the multiple-choice online post-test, and complete the online evaluation. The evaluation form provides each participant with the opportunity to comment on the quality of the instructional process, the perception of enhanced professional effectiveness, the perception of commercial bias, and his/her views on future educational needs. To receive credit for this activity, follow the post-test instructions. A score of at least 70% is required to successfully complete this program. One retake is allowed. This credit is valid through July 31, 2006.

FACULTY AND DISCLOSURES
Bonnie Kirschenbaum, MS, FASHP
Healthcare Consultant
Breckenridge, Colorado

Bonnie Kirschenbaum, MS, FASHP, discloses that she has received consulting fees or direct honoraria from UDL Laboratories, Inc. for product consultation.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
Internet Explorer (v5.5 or greater) or Netscape (v7.02 or greater)
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Internet Explorer not supported on the Macintosh.
Microsoft Windows 98 SE or above.

This activity is jointly sponsored by AKH Inc. and McMahon Publishing Group.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Baxter Healthcare Corporation.

Physicians Click Here

Pharmacists Click Here

Nurses Click Here

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If you have questions about this CME activity, please contact AKH Inc. at 1-800-462-8165.