GS1 marks 20 years of barcodes in healthcare, enhancing patient safety, traceability, and digital transformation worldwide.

Twenty years ago, GS1 introduced barcode technology into the healthcare industry, revolutionizing the tracking and identifying of medicinal supplies and expanding its usage to standardize patient, asset, location, and other identifiers.

The barcode, which was first introduced in the retail business in the 1970s, has improved efficiency and streamlined procedures throughout the healthcare sector.

For increased efficiency, the GS1 barcode is now widely used in the worldwide healthcare supply chain. These barcodes have set the groundwork for safer, more intelligent care by allowing for unique identification of medications and medical devices, as well as by freeing up time for patient care by simplifying inventory management.

Barcode in healthcare started as a sensible and reliable tool for controllers to track and identify medical products. The company provided the necessary technology, which was as simple as a barcode scan, according to Renaud de Barbuat, GS1 President and CEO. GS1 barcodes have revolutionized healthcare systems over the last 20 years, spreading advantages to patients all across the world.

More than 70 nations formerly have healthcare rules to encourage the use of the GS1 DataMatrix barcode. GS1 standards are used by regulators to guarantee internationally standardized medical product traceability. It has been observed that more than 16.5 billion pharmaceutical boxes with GS1 DataMatrix barcodes are transported annually in the EU and US, making the system an essential part of global healthcare.

GS1 is collaborating with top international tech firms to make sure that patients can use their smartphones to scan barcodes on medical devices, providing them with immediate access to vital treatment information with a single, easy scan.