A new Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) has been published, bringing together 229 studies from 2016 to 2026 to show where the evidence for barcode scanning in healthcare is strong, and where more research is needed.
What is an Evidence and Gap Map?
An EGM is a research tool that brings together published studies on a topic and shows, visually, where evidence is strong and where it is lacking. Unlike a systematic review, an EGM does not evaluate whether an intervention works. Instead, it maps the existing research landscape, helping researchers, policymakers and healthcare organisations identify where to focus future evaluation and funding.
About this map
This EGM was developed by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science at the University of Birmingham, working with Keele University, as part of the West Midlands Evidence Synthesis Group (WM-ESG). It was commissioned by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, with funding from the NIHR Evidence Synthesis Programme.
The map brings together 229 studies published between 2016 and 2026, drawn from an initial search of over 10,000 records. It covers barcode scanning technologies across a wide range of healthcare applications, including Scan4Safety, and is accompanied by a full written report, due to be published shortly.
The research team are now undertaking a second phase of work, which includes expanding and updating the map to include studies performed prior to 2016, so it will continue to develop as a live resource.
You can also find out more on the West Midlands Evidence Synthesis Group webpage.
What the map covers
The map organises evidence across different scan4Safety use cases including medicines management, blood management, specimen management, inventory and supply management, and other uses such as human milk tracking and bed management.
These are measured against six outcome areas: patient safety, implementation, efficiency and operational impact, patient and staff experience, system-related outcomes, and cost and economic impact.
Where the evidence is strongest
Medicines management is by far the most researched Scan4Safety use case, accounting for around two-thirds of all included studies. Patient identification, specimen management and blood management also feature prominently. Patient safety and implementation were the most frequently measured outcomes, reflecting one of the key benefits of Scan4Safety.
Where the gaps lie
The map highlights clear gaps in the current evidence base. Inventory and supply management, vaccine tracing, and implantable and medical devices are comparatively under-researched, as are the economic and system-level outcomes of Scan4Safety, such as cost-effectiveness, which were identified in only a small number of studies.
Most of the evidence available is observational or quality improvement in nature, rather than randomised controlled trials, of which only four were identified across the whole map. This means findings are generally strong indicators of likely benefit, though less able to rule out other explanations than a randomised trial would be.
The evidence is also heavily concentrated in high-income countries and acute hospital settings, with little drawn from primary or long-term care.
How to use the map
The interactive evidence and gap map lets users examine available evidence across interventions (rows) and outcomes (columns) helping identify areas where evidence is limited or absent. The size of the bubbles in each interactive cell represents the volume of available evidence, while colour is used to distinguish between evidence type and study design. Clicking on a bubble opens a list of available records that is linked with that particular outcome and intervention.
Additionally, alternative options can be used to display the evidence such as a heat map, mosaic map or text map which can be found on the top right corner. Additional filters appear alongside the map which can navigate evidence by categories including but not limited to intervention type, population, geographic region, country, publication year and other relevant criteria. These filters can be applied individually or in combination to investigate specific areas of interest. Cells with no bubbles highlights areas lacking evidence, thereby revealing potential evidence gaps.
Evidence and Gap Maps provide organisations, governments, and researchers with easy access to evidence-based solutions they need and help them identify gaps in the research.
Access the map
You can view the interactive Evidence and Gap Map at https://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Portals/35/Maps/barcodesinhealthcareegm.html
The full written report will be linked here once published.
If your organisation has evaluation data on Scan4Safety or barcode scanning that could help close these evidence gaps, contact patientsafety.enquiries@nhs.net