Barcoding Barriers & Breakthroughs: Lessons from the Field in Investigational Drug Services

As investigational drug services (IDS) teams face increasing complexity, tighter compliance expectations, and growing trial volumes, many are asking the same question: Is barcoding worth the effort?

While barcode technology is widely used in inpatient pharmacy settings to improve medication safety, its application within clinical research remains uneven. IDS environments introduce unique operational and compliance challenges that make adoption less straightforward, leaving many teams uncertain about whether barcoding can deliver meaningful value without disrupting established workflows.

That uncertainty was the focus of McCreadie Group’s recent on-demand webinar, Barcoding Barriers & Breakthroughs: Lessons from the Field, featuring real-world perspectives from IDS leaders at Advocate Health and the University of Rochester.

Why Barcoding Is Re-Emerging in IDS Conversations

Across healthcare, barcode-assisted dispensing has been shown to significantly reduce medication errors in hospital pharmacy settings, with peer-reviewed studies reporting reductions of more than 90% in targeted dispensing errors. 

However, IDS workflows differ from standard pharmacy operations. Investigational drug management often involves:

• Protocol-specific drug handling
• Blinded and unblinded products
• Manual accountability requirements
• Complex audit and documentation demands

As a result, many research pharmacies struggle to determine whether barcoding can truly improve safety without introducing new risks.

Real-World Questions IDS Teams Are Asking

Rather than focusing on theoretical benefits, the webinar centered on practical questions IDS teams face every day when considering barcoding, such as:

• Where does barcoding provide the most value in the investigational drug lifecycle?
• How do teams validate barcode data for investigational products?
• What operational and compliance risks need to be addressed upfront?
• How much additional time does barcode validation realistically add?

The speakers drew from their experience implementing barcoding across large, multi-site research programs, offering insight into what worked, and what required rethinking.

Barcoding Is a Workflow Decision, Not Just a Technology Choice

One of the strongest themes from the session was that barcoding success depends far more on workflow design and change management than on any single tool.

IDS teams or leaders evaluating barcoding must carefully consider:

• Which steps in the dispensing process warrant barcode verification
• How accountability systems and EHRs interact
• How staff are trained, supported, and engaged
• How success is measured and sustained over time

Without this foundation, barcoding risks becoming an added task rather than a meaningful safety safeguard.

Common Barriers and How Teams Move Past Them

The webinar also addressed common barriers that often slow or stall IDS barcoding initiatives, such as validation requirements, concerns about added workload, integration with existing systems, and long-term IT ownership.

While these challenges are real, the discussion highlighted how thoughtful planning, phased rollouts, and clear metrics can help teams move forward with confidence.

Watch the Full Webinar

The on-demand webinar goes deeper into:

• How IDS teams scoped and piloted barcode workflows
• Where validation fits into receipt and dispensing processes
• How compliance and unblinding risks were addressed
• Which metrics helped justify continued investment

For IDS leaders evaluating barcoding, or revisiting a stalled initiative, this session provides grounded, experience-based insight.

References

• Poon, E. G., Cina, J. L., Churchill, W., Patel, N., Featherstone, E., Rothschild, J. M., Keohane, C. A., Whittemore, A. D., Bates, D. W., & Gandhi, T. K. (2006). Effect of bar-code technology on the safety of medication dispensing. The New England Journal of Medicine, 354(16), 1698–1707.
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. (2011). ASHP guidelines on preventing medication errors in hospitals. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 68(11), 1091–1111.
• Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association. (2018). Investigational drug service best practice standards. https://www.hoparx.org 
• Institute for Safe Medication Practices. (2023). ISMP targeted medication safety best practices for hospitals. https://www.ismp.org