The leading authority on local barcode standards is advocating for the use of the technology in improving the delivery of healthcare services.
GS1 Philippines is pushing for the adoption of barcode technology to streamline workflow for health professionals, which will then help enhance patient safety.
This push for innovating healthcare comes as the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025 highlights the transformative potential of digital transformation in healthcare.
Technologies like tools for data storage and exchange, remote data capture, and virtual care are proven to enhance health outcomes by improving medical diagnoses, treatment decisions, digital therapeutics, clinical trials, and fostering evidence-based knowledge for healthcare professionals.
Building on this global vision, GS1 Philippines has been advocating for leveraging global standards and implementing barcode technology to enhance digital information accessibility for healthcare workers to attain efficient workflow and address medical supply chain inefficiencies.
By using GS1 Standards, health manufacturers and distributors can record data in clinical systems, enhancing the speed and accuracy of data capture.
Healthcare providers can leverage these barcodes for patient identification, medication administration, and tracking of medical supplies and equipment, optimizing inventory management and streamlining overall workflow.
Teodoro Padilla, Executive Director of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) and Trustee of GS1 Philippines, said that the adoption of barcode technology will create a safer healthcare system.
“Integrating barcode technology is not just about digitalization — it’s about creating a safer, more transparent healthcare system that improves patient care, reduces errors, and ensures an efficient supply chain of authentic medicines and medical products, protecting patients from counterfeit goods,” Padilla said.
To further elevate awareness about barcode technology in the sector, GS1 Philippines participated in the recent GS1 Healthcare Roadshow in Hong Kong, where healthcare professionals and administrators were introduced to the transformative potential of barcodes.
The event showcased how barcodes streamline patient care by enabling accurate capture and automatic sharing of vital medical product information.
The organization also joined the GS1 Asia-Pacific Forum 2024, a regional event with over 150 delegates from GS1 Global and 16 Asia-Pacific economies.
During the forum, training sessions on 2D barcodes, digital links, and registries were provided, emphasizing global digital transformation strategies and fostering stronger engagement with hospitals and healthcare providers.
The organization also visited the CUHK Medical Centre in Hong Kong to explore advanced smart medical technologies, including an automated system for healthcare workers and a vending machine that dispenses pre-programmed medical garments, highlighting data-driven efficiency and labor-saving innovations.
GS1 Philippines is committed to preparing local industries for the global shift to 2D barcodes by 2027, aligning with international standards.
This initiative is seen to help in boosting the country’s competitiveness in the global market and enable hospitals and healthcare providers to leverage 2D barcodes like GS1 DataMatrix to elevate operations.
The organization’s initiatives align with the Department of Health (DOH) goal of making healthcare accessible to Filipinos through the integration of technology.
This, as the department recognized challenges in digitalizing the country’s healthcare system and improving access to essential medicines.
GS1 Philippines President Roberto Claudio remarked: “At GS1 Philippines, we believe that adopting streamlined barcode technology in healthcare is crucial for enhancing patient safety and improving the efficiency of healthcare workflow.”
“This innovation empowers health professionals to deliver better care by having a tool for data integration and interoperability,” Claudio added.
GS1 Philippines is a member of the GS1 organization, which is dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains globally and across sectors.
The GS1 system of standards is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world.
GS1 through its global healthcare division, GS1 Healthcare, has been making efforts since 2008 to drive the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards for patient safety and supply chain efficiency.