We had a recent event where Flonase was left in a med bin after a patient was discharged. Another patient with the same last name was admitted to that room and received a dose from the first patient's nasal spray. Fortunately, the first patient had refused all doses, so it was still fresh, but this could have been a lot worse.
We have nurses scan the Pharmacy label barcode for insulin pens to avoid wrong patient errors, but we scan the manufacturer's barcode for other bulk items.
What are other hospitals doing to prevent wrong patient errors with other multiuse items besides insulin pens, such as nasal sprays, inhalers, creams, etc.?
1) Manufacturer's barcode only (medication accuracy)
2) Pharmacy label barcode only (patient accuracy)
3) Both the manufacturer and Pharmacy label barcodes
Thanks for your input!