Bar Coded System Manages Milk Products
An additional application of bar coding systems has been developed for healthcare applications. Neoteric Technology Limited developed the LacTrack SafeLx, which is designed to manage milk for infants that are hospitalized.
The system includes a number of distinct modules: collection, order, preparation, pickup, begin feed, and end feed. The system can print labels to use on milk bottles that are brought into the hospital by a mother or generated in the hospital. Labels are printed with the baby’s information on the barcode, in both a barcode and readable format. Milk is ordered using the LacTrack system to order either mother’s milk that is stored or formula. Labels are kept in the infant’s chart, as well as sent to the milk preparation area.
Labels are printed in the milk preparation area to be attached to the vial that will be used to feed the infant. This feature ensures that the correct milk is delivered to the right baby at the right time.
The infant’s wristband is used to generate a label, which nurses can take to the milk preparation area to retrieve milk vials. Both the begin and end feed modules are used to ensure, again, that the correct product is delivered to the correct infant. These further provides tracking information about the feeding, including milk aspirated and volume fed to the baby.
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Torontohad deployed the LacTrack SafeLx system to manage the milk used in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
January 16, 2008 Related topics: New Technology & Innovation, Hygiene & Cleanliness, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Neonatology, IT & software