Wired versus Wireless Scanners

Wired scanner

The wired or tethered scanner is the least expensive and least technically complicated type of scanner. This type of scanner is connected directly to the computer via a universal serial bus (USB) cable and there are no batteries required. Once the scanner is attached to the computer and configured, the user will simply “point and click”. Almost no training is required. The two drawbacks to a wired scanner are range and infection control. The wired scanner is attached to the computer; therefore, the patient must be close enough to the computer that the cord will reach from the computer to the patient. If the physical layout of the area does not support a wired scanner due to the distance between the patient and the scanner, it may be more appropriate to consider wireless access points and mobile workstations. While you may think just adding a wireless scanner to the stationary computer will suffice, consider the following. In order to use BCMA effectively, the user, patient, and computer all need to be within arm’s reach of each other. If a user has to leave his or her workstation, walk ten steps over to the patient, and ten steps back to the computer to see the screen and interact with the computer, the user will get frustrated very quickly and either seek workarounds or refuse to use the system altogether. Therefore, adjusting the physical layout and acquiring the most appropriate equipment to facilitate BCMA use will go a long way to improving adoption. As for infection control, in many outpatient areas, patients are clothed and are not severely immunocompromised. Since the scanners do not (should not) come in direct contact with body cavities, blood, sputum, stool, etc., these devices are considered “non-critical” according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Non-critical medical equipment should be wiped down with approved hospital-grade disinfectant solutions between patients2 and you should consider including a requirement that all bar code scanners be constructed of or coated with health care grade plastic to ensure they can be disinfected with hospital grade cleaners if the scanner were to come into contact with bodily fluids.

Wireless Scanner

The wireless scanner is a more expensive solution than the wired scanner (approximately 3 times the cost of a wired scanner). The wireless scanner uses a base station, similar to a cordless phone, which is connected directly to the computer via a USB cable. The handset (scanner) communicates wirelessly to the base station which relays its signal to the computer through the USB cable. The handset is charged when it is placed in the base station. The wireless scanners are predominantly used in many inpatient settings to mitigate the potential infection control issue noted with the wired scanners, but also because the layout in some facilities does not allow the nurse to take the medication cart to the patient or into the room. The benefit of a wireless scanner is mobility; users are not limited by the length of the cord such as on a wired scanner. As previously mentioned, BCMA requires the user to be in close proximity to the patient and the computer, so wireless scanners should not be considered a solution to a physical layout that will not support proper use of BCMA. There are a few drawbacks to wireless scanners:

They are mobile. Mobility increases the chances the scanner will get lost or misplaced.
Scanners are electronically “associated” with only one base station at a time. If a user picks up a wireless scanner and places it in a base station to which it is not associated, the electronic “association” is often broken requiring the user to reset the scanner. The scanners must maintain a connection to their base station. These scanners lose their electronic “association” to the base station for the reason mentioned above; however, they occasionally lose their association arbitrarily, requiring a user to reset the scanner.
These devices are battery powered. At some point, the batteries will need to be replaced. This is an additional cost for which facilities should budget.
Wireless scanners inherently require more training and troubleshooting than their wired counterparts.

This information is courtesy of:

Jonathan Bagby, MSN, MBA, RN-BC
Nurse Consultant
Bar Code Resource Office, Health Informatics
Office of Informatics and Analytics (10P2)
Veterans Health Administration
(804) 477-4135