Baxter, the market’s largest producer of small IV bags, is currently working toward implementing inverse barcodes (white on black) on IV mini-bags to enable better scanning, resulting in improved medication management.

“Barcodes on a product’s unit-of-use are an undeniably important component of safe medication management,” says Alex Adani, VP Health Systems, Baxter Canada. “HealthPRO’s ability to raise industry awareness of the challenges Canadian hospitals were facing helped us propel these important changes forward.”

This enhancement is a result of HealthPRO’s ongoing Transforming, Together campaign, which raises industry awareness of challenges that are common to hospitals and impact changes that improve medication safety and bring efficiencies to the hospital supply chain.

Baxter’s barcode changes will initially be applied to IV medications produced at its Alliston, Ontario plant (e.g. metronidazole, gentamicin, lidocaine, potassium) and is intended to eventually be applied to IV solutions as well.

“We are proud to champion these positive changes on behalf of Canada’s hospitals,” notes Christine Donaldson, Vice President Pharmacy, HealthPRO. “Because our country represents less than 2% of the global market, it is only by working collectively that we have an opportunity to make a difference.”