Health providers endorse GS1 standards to support safety and efficiency

Senior representatives from health providers around the world were interviewed to gather their insights on how standards provide foundations for the industry's future.  

A summary of the resulting paper “Safer, more efficient Healthcare starts with a simple scan” is below.


Today, healthcare providers need to ensure high quality patient care whilst working within time and financial constraints. Hospitals worldwide are making significant changes in their operations to improve patient care, safety and outcomes. They are turning manual processes into digital ones and realising the value of these standards as critical enablers of this transformation.

Executives from multiple parts of the healthcare industry advise that clinicians are teaming with non-clinical professionals to deliver better and safer patient care through comparative analysis of procedures and outcomes, extending the value of standards from the supply chain into doctors’ hands.

Evidence is emerging that demonstrates the tangible benefits of using GS1 standards to create a positive patient experience and drive significant improvement in stock management, medication administration, asset tracking, order-to-cash and other processes. The use of GS1 standards has become a strategic priority for many hospitals - an investment that delivers near-term returns and a foundation for sustained success.

The executives counselled that healthcare players can no longer wait to use standards. As hospitals digitise their processes and harness data for the benefit of clinicians and patients alike, adopting GS1 standards has never been more important.

Read the paper in detail