Vaccine Barcodes: How Barcode Technology Benefits Pharmacists

Mar 03, 2023

When it comes to the pharmaceutical realm, barcode technology provides multiple benefits, from effective inventory management to quickly locating expired pharmaceutical containers. Using robust barcode scanning solutions could help streamline workflows, amplify staff productivity, and ensure patient safety.

Using Barcode Technology to Leverage Numerous Benefits in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK for Scanning Vaccine Barcodes without a Hitch
See the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK in Action

Using Barcode Technology to Leverage Numerous Benefits in the Pharmaceutical Industry

pharmaceutical-barcode

Vaccine barcodes and barcode scanners are imperative for verifying vaccines and medications before they are administered or dispensed to a patient. There are multiple ways barcodes benefit healthcare professionals.

Quickly Locate Expired Pharmaceutical Containers

Sans barcode scanners, pharmacists have to sort through the containers and bottles manually to check their date of expiration. The process is highly time-taking and prone to errors. Moreover, a single mistake could lead to detrimental repercussions.

Pharmacists could quickly locate expired containers and bottles with a high-speed medication or vaccination barcode scanner. The batch barcode scanning feature further accelerates the process, as multiple containers can be scanned within a few seconds to detect expired ones.

Detect Counterfeit Vaccines

Unapproved and counterfeit vaccines and drugs threaten a patient’s health. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 9%-41% of medicines sold in middle- and low-income countries are counterfeit. Although the number is as low as 1% in high-income countries, such as the US, detecting counterfeit vaccines and medicines remains critical. Any suspected pharma product could be detected using a powerful barcode scanning solution and withdrawn from the supply chain.

Most vaccines and barcodes have DataMatrix codes on their packaging that can be quickly scanned using a medication or vaccination barcode scanner app on mobile devices at any point.

Mobile scanning appears as the present and the future of barcode scanning in pharmacies as it allows one to quickly identify vaccines and medications, and the information related to them anywhere, anytime. Pharmacists no longer have to invest in expensive peripheral hardware, as smartphones and tablets could be used to scan vaccine barcodes on the go.

A robust vaccine QR code reader or barcode scanner app on mobile devices allows scanning different barcode symbologies, such as 1D, 2D, DataMatrix codes, or Pharmacodes, quickly. Any information related to vaccines or drugs, such as side effects, identification of prescription, or confirming whether a medication is all set for pickup, can be quickly done.

Not to mention, anti-microbial cases are readily available for smartphones that can be used in sterile environments.

Effective Inventory Management from Dispatch to Disposal

Adhering to state and federal requirements and maintaining inventory control is critical for the pharmaceutical industry to minimize errors, theft, and losses. Every time a product or lot is scanned, the inventory data gets captured, with every product being accounted for at any point throughout the supply chain, from dispatch to disposal.

For effective inventory management, it is essential to use a barcode scanning solution that offers optimal performance and allows mobile scanning to perform inventory checks at any point. Managing inventory is challenging when thousands of barcodes must be scanned at difficult angles on pharmacy shelves. Inadequate lighting in a storeroom or barcodes damaged during shipping and receiving further pose challenges for an ordinary barcode scanner.

Hence, choosing a powerful barcode scanning solution becomes critical for pharmacists. It can be integrated into the pharmacy management system to track and manage inventory quickly.

Trace and Verify Vaccines and Drugs Across the Supply Chain

According to the US Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), it is mandatory throughout the supply chain for individuals to provide information related to a drug every time it is distributed or sold in the market of the US. Hence, it becomes essential for those dispensing medicines and vaccines in hospitals, pharmacies, and home care settings to manage them so that tracing them becomes more accessible, from manufacturing to dispensing to patients.

Intelligent scanning on mobile devices allows pharmacy professionals to collect and capture real-time data, providing visibility throughout the supply chain. They can stay updated with information, such as dispatch status, use, receipt, and disposal.

The best way to ensure pharmaceutical traceability is by scanning medication and vaccines directly via a pharmacy management solution. It instantly collects data such as expiry dates, quantities, LOT numbers, and serial numbers. As a result, lesser errors and more transparency. Any vaccine or drug with labeling or manufacturing defects can be quickly tracked and withdrawn from the supply chain.

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK for Scanning Vaccine Barcodes without a Hitch

dynamsoft-vaccine-barcode-scanning

While pharmacists have long used barcode scanners in many ways, more than handheld devices are needed to meet the growing demands of the ever-evolving pharmaceutical landscape. They require high-speed, accurate mobile barcoding solutions that support batch scanning for high efficiency, lesser errors, lowered costs, and increased patient safety.

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK is a robust barcode scanner SDK that can quickly embed barcode scanning functionality into a web, mobile, or desktop app. It can be used to integrate high-performance barcode scanning functionality into the pharmacy management solution to effectively manage inventory, detect counterfeit products and pull drug information instantly.

Scans 500+ Barcodes per Minute

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK (DBR) is one of the fast scanning and decoding in the industry. It can read over 500 barcodes in 60 seconds, which makes it perfect for multiple operations and scenarios, such as pharmaceutical inventory management. Not to mention, DBR can scan numerous barcodes or QR codes from live video feeds at an incomparable reading rate and accuracy.

Support for All Common Barcode Symbologies Used in Pharmaceutical Industry

From one-dimensional barcodes to two-dimensional codes, such as DataMatrix codes or Pharmcodes, the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK supports reading all common symbologies used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Scan Challenging Vaccines Barcodes and QR Codes

Whether it’s a damaged vaccination barcode or scanning barcodes on a pharmacy shelf from a distance, the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK can scan all such barcodes. It can scan barcodes on curved surfaces such as vaccine bottles, blurred barcodes in motion, or any orientation without a hitch. The results are incomparable to a handheld barcode reader.

Easily Implement Barcode Scanning on Mobile Devices

With the growing use of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, it becomes imperative for pharmacists to invest in mobile scanning solutions. Moreover, they can save costs spent on expensive peripheral hardware. Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK lets you embed barcode reading functionality into a web or native mobile app using a few lines of code. As a result, you can save months of extra development work.

Batch Scanning Module for Enhanced Pharma Tracking & Tracing

DataMatrix barcodes are the most used barcode symbology for tracing pharmaceutical products. With Dynamsoft Panorama™, an enhanced module of the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK, pharmaceutical professionals can meet the tracking and tracing requirements of bundles, medicine packages, or cases throughout the supply chain and entire logistics, from the manufacturer to the wholesaler and then to a pharmaceutical store.

OCR Capability to Instantly Scan Ref or Lot Numbers

Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, can be used for scanning ref or lot numbers when a pharmaceutical product does not have data encoded within a barcode. The Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK offers another feature of text recognition to instantly capture lot numbers on drug bottles and vaccines.

See the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK in Action

More than 1200 companies worldwide trust the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK for barcode scanning. It is easy to integrate and highly customizable to meet the most specific requirements of your pharma setup. Schedule a meeting to learn how it can enable robust barcode reading capability in your pharmacy management system.

Check out its online demo to quickly see it in action.

Download the 30-day free trial for detailed analysis.