Maine State Council

We are recently switched to Cerner and are having some issues with scanning medications.

• Bar code not recognized (pharmacy trying to fix but 9 months on we still have this problem multiple times every day)
• Incorrect medication dose warning when medication comes in multiple dose amounts (i.e. Midazolam 2mg and 5 mg; if 5 mg ordered for conscious sedation and you pull 2 mg then it won't scan.)

Anyone else found a fix for these problems? What are you doing with med scanning in ED?

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Jon Bell
MDI Hospital
Bucksport ME
(207)902-4366
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Hi there,

We have Cerner and have some meds we simply cannot get right- IV Dexamethasone is one of them.  We monitoring barcode scanning rates weekly and staff are super frustrated with the barriers.  We have not had the med dose issue, but presume it just needs to be entered by the pharmacy in the catalog of barcodes.  If 5 was ordered and we pulled (3) 2 mg doses, we would scan each dose then manually change the number to say 5 instead of 6.  

I have the 90% Club board and every week that staff are above 90% for scanning, they get an entry into a raffle, and if they are above 90% for the monthly report, they get two entries.  At the end of the month we do a drawing and they get a $25 gift card to a place of their choosing.  I don't have budget funds for this, so am eating the cost but it has inspired some to jump in their scores :) I'm not above begging! :) 

Good luck! 

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Amander

Amander N. Wotton MSN, RN

Bridgton Hospital
Emergency Department Nurse Leader
She/Her/Hers
207-647-6038
wottonam@cmhc.org
Bridgton, Maine 04009
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