Interest Material
Survey on the Display Status of GS1 DataBar Printed on PTP Sheets of Oral Medications and the Size of PTP Sheets
2023 Volume 42 Issue 6 Pages 263-271
Details
2023 Volume 42 Issue 6 Pages 263-271
The GS1 DataBar is displayed on the prescription drug dispensing unit. The barcode displayed on the press-through package (PTP) sheet for oral medicines can be used to check whether the medicine is exactly as prescribed. However, there are cases where the PTP sheet is cut off when dispensed by the pharmacist. Therefore, there is a demand for multiple bar code displays from medical sites.
This time, we investigated the size of the PTP sheet for internal medicines and the size of the displayed GS1 DataBar. All 688 PTP sheets investigated had barcodes. In the 10-tablet sheet, 410 items were labeled with one barcode on the sheet, and 27 items were labeled with one barcode per tablet. However, one bar code displayed per tablet was smaller than industry recommended specifications. Furthermore, it was found that approximately half of the items needed to have larger PTP sheets to achieve the industry-recommended labeling for the 10-tablet sheet. Currently, it is difficult to display one barcode per tablet. Considering the trend of barcode labeling of drugs in the world, it is considered necessary to review labeling guidelines in the future.
