Logo

Sign in | Create an Account Cart 0
Sign In
Forgot password?
Institutional Users can Sign In here
Don't have an Account?
Create an account
 
Forgot Password
 
Thank You for Registration

Thank-you for creating an account on Longwoods.com.

As a registered user of longwoods.com you can receive the following benefits:
  • Abstracts from ALL Longwoods.com publications
  • Citation tracking and reference links to full-text articles
  • Ability to share the information through various social media outlets with a single click
  • Ability to comment on any article
  • Pay-per-View purchases of single articles or issues by credit card or paypal
  • Choice of any www.longwoods.com/newsletters delivered to your email inbox for free
  • Ability to sign up for any www.longwoods.com/events.
  • The advantage of having password access to www.Longwoods.com from any computer anywhere
Please check your e-mail and follow the instructions to activate your account. If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your junk folder.
Reset Password

Please check your e-mail and follow the instructions to reset your password.

Menu
  • Home
  • Topics
    • Access to Care
    • Aging
    • Alternative Levels of Care
    • Caregivers
    • Change Management
    • Child Health
    • Community Care
    • Continuing Care
    • Decision Making
    • Digital Health
    • Effective Teamwork
    • Governance
    • Health Human Resources
    • Health System Innovation
    • Healthcare Costs
    • Healthcare Policy
    • Home Care
    • Leadership Development
    • Long-Term Care
    • Mental Health
    • Nursing Leadership
    • Opinions
    • Palliative Care
    • Patient Experience
    • Patient Safety
    • Pharmacare
    • Primary Care
    • System Transformation
    • Workforce Planning
  • Events
    • Breakfast with the Chiefs
    • Conferences and Education
    • Healthcare Awards
    • Healthcare Rounds
  • Publications
    • Healthcare Quarterly
    • HealthcarePapers
    • Healthcare Policy
    • Nursing Leadership
    • World Health & Population
    • Special Issues
    • ElectronicHealthcare
    • Law & Governance
    • Books
    • Essays
    • White Papers
    • Longwoods Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Jobs
    • Longwoods Job Site
    • HR Resources Database
    • Transitions
    • Rates for Job Postings
  • Subscribe
Share

Health & Healthcare News

PHAC, GS1 Canada, and vaccine industry approve major vaccine identification initiative


$900 million in savings projected through use of GS1 bar code standards

November 3, 2010

Toronto, ON – Canada’s vaccine industry is getting a major shot in the arm; one that will modernize and transform the identification, distribution and use of vaccines across the country to improve patient safety, immunization record-keeping and generate significant cost savings within the healthcare system.

Collaboration between the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), vaccine manufacturers, stakeholders and GS1 Canada on the Automated Identification of Vaccine Projects (AIVP) initiative has resulted in a collective endorsement of a Consensus Statement on the use of GS1 DataBarTM or GS1 DataMatrix (2D) bar codes on the inner package of vaccine products as a national standard for vaccine identification in Canada.

“A national protocol for identifying vaccines using globally standard bar codes will without question improve efficiencies and reduce errors throughout the Canadian healthcare system,” said Dr. Robert Van Exan, Director, Immunization Policy, Sanofi Pasteur Limited. “These standards will increase confidence in the healthcare system and most importantly, better serve patients.”

This Consensus Statement is based in part on a critical Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) commissioned by the AIVP Advisory Task Group. Conducted by an independent third party, the CBA identified significant benefits arising from the adoption and implementation of GS1 bar codes on vaccines approved for use in Canada, including cost-savings of more than $900-million dollars over a 20-year period.

The CBA also found that the implementation of GS1 bar codes on vaccine products would result in significant time savings (bar code scanning vs. manual entry), improved immunization record completeness and accuracy, reduction in supply shortages, and improved supply chain management.

“Studies have shown that between 5-15% of immunization records are missing important information and up to 24% contain errors,” said Dr. Monika Naus, Associate Director, Epidemiology Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control.  “A streamlined vaccine identification system will allow healthcare workers to better maintain and ensure accurate, up-to-date immunization records.”

To support the use of bar codes in healthcare settings, the Public Health Agency of Canada is moving forward with the development of the Vaccine Information Database System (VIDS). VIDS is envisioned to be a national, online database containing comprehensive information on all vaccines licensed for use in Canada. A portion of the information for this system is already available from manufacturers through GS1 Canada’s National Product Registry, and GS1 Canada will provide an integrated data feed from this registry to VIDS.

“This collaborative industry effort will completely modernize the way vaccine products in Canada are identified,” said N. Arthur Smith, President and CEO, GS1 Canada.  “Consensus on the use of globally standardized bar codes is a critical step in creating national immunization tracking and traceability capability; further improving the safety of Canadian patients.”

– 30 –

About GS1 Canada
GS1 Canada is a member of GS1, the world’s leading supply chain standards organization. As a neutral, not-for-profit organization, GS1 Canada enables its more than 10,000 members – trading partners of all sizes from over 20 sectors across Canada – to enhance their efficiency and cost effectiveness by adopting electronic supply chain best practices. Learn more at www.gs1ca.org.

For more information, contact:
Lianne Castelino
Senior Manager, Public Affairs
GS1 Canada
416-510-8039 x2229
lianne.castelino@gs1ca.org

Contact information

Contact Us
Mailing address

260 Adelaide Street East, No. 8, Toronto ON M5A 1N1

Studio and delivery address

54 Berkeley St., Suite 305, 3rd Floor Toronto, ON M5A 2W4

Download map to our office(PDF - 46.3 KB)
Telephone number
416-864-9667
Fax number
416-368-4443

Subscribe Today

  • Nursing Leadership

    Leadership in nursing management, practice, education and research 

Stay Connected

Newsletter
© 2019
Longwoods Publishing Corporation
  • Institutional Users
  • About Us
  • Subscription Information
  • Advertise
  • Reprints
  • Partners
  • Terms
  • Privacy