How Schedule2 cut EMS narcotics shift changes from 30 minutes to 30 seconds

Schedule2.IT ("S2") is an innovative narcotics tracking software product. It combines GS1 barcode scanning with data from the FDA’s National Drug Code (NDC) database, extracted directly from the manufacturers’ packaging, so that EMS agencies throughout the United States achieve 100% confidence that all their narcotic inventories are always correct.

Narcotics tracking during EMS shift changes

Life-saving narcotics for patients are kept in small boxes that are closed with GS1 barcode zip tie seals. If the seal remains unbroken, the oncoming shift of paramedics knows that the narcotics box has remained unopened.

Checking every box at each shift change used to take paramedics and EMTs around 30 minutes, time that is better spent on patient care.

Why Schedule2 needed offline scanning of small Data Matrix codes

Many of the items that S2 tracks, such as vials, carry small GS1 Data Matrix codes. Scanning codes this small with a smartphone camera is demanding, and in a medical setting, the scanner has to read them reliably on the first attempt.

Paramedics also work where connectivity can’t be taken for granted: in ambulances, in rural areas and even in helicopters. The barcode scanning SDK therefore had to work completely offline.

Data Matrix scanning on paramedics’ phones with STRICH

The S2 development team incorporated the STRICH Barcode Scanning SDK into the mobile component of their product. Paramedics and EMTs now scan the GS1 barcodes directly with their phones, including the small Data Matrix codes on vials, and STRICH runs completely offline.

In combination with new S2 user interface features, this reduces the time required to perform a shift change from 30 minutes to 30 seconds. To say that paramedics love this new feature is an understatement. To see the shift change in action, check out the training video on Vimeo.

The flight paramedics in Dare County, North Carolina, liked the phone-based GS1 barcode scanning so much that they chose to use it on their helicopter flights.