Safer, More Efficient Care Starts With A Simple Scan

Hospitals worldwide are making significant changes in their operations to improve patient care, safety and outcomes. They are turning manual processes into digital ones and realising the value of GS1 standards as critical enablers of this transformation.

GS1 identifiers in healthcare

GS1 standards are enabling healthcare providers to uniquely identify products, patients, caregivers, assets and locations for transparent processes across the healthcare value chain. GS1 standards provide a global common language—identification, barcodes and data sharing—so that all stakeholders can work together seamlessly.

To better understand the impact of standards on hospital operations, GS1, the not-for-profit standards organisation, spoke with clinical and non-clinical executives from multiple parts of the healthcare industry.

They advised that clinicians are teaming with non-clinical professionals to deliver better and safer patient care through comparative analysis of procedures and outcomes, extending the value of standards from the supply chain into doctors’ hands.

Hospitals are collaborating more and more with suppliers and group purchasing organisations (GPOs), leveraging GS1 standards to determine products’ total lifecycle costs and effectiveness in treating patients.

Evidence is emerging that demonstrates the tangible benefits of using GS1 standards to create a positive patient experience and drive significant improvement in order-to-cash, stock management, medication administration, asset tracking and other processes.

GS1 standards in hospitals

The use of GS1 standards has become a strategic priority for hospitals— an investment that delivers near-term returns and a foundation for sustained success.

The executives counselled that healthcare players can no longer wait to use standards—the health of the industry depends on it. As hospitals digitise their processes and harness data for the benefit of clinicians and patients alike, adopting GS1 standards has never been more important.

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