SCAN/STORIES

In this episode of SCAN/STORIES, discover how Nigeria successfully traced and recalled an entire vaccine batch in less than one hour, demonstrating the power of healthcare traceability when every product can be identified and tracked with certainty.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerian health authorities faced a critical challenge. A vaccine batch was identified as compromised after distribution across a nationwide network of healthcare facilities. The task was clear but complex: locate every affected dose quickly, coordinate action across multiple stakeholders, and prevent any risk to patients.
Using its national Traceability Information System, built on GS1 standards, Nigeria was able to identify exactly where every dose had been distributed. Each vaccine was marked with a GS1 DataMatrix barcode, providing the visibility needed to trace products across the supply chain in real time.
Within less than one hour, authorities had identified all affected distribution points and activated communication across the network. Once the recall was confirmed, healthcare facilities were able to act immediately, ensuring vaccines were safely retrieved and removed from circulation.
The result was remarkable: 100% of the affected vaccine doses were successfully traced and recalled. But the impact extended beyond a single incident. The system demonstrated how trusted data, interoperability and collaboration can enable faster, more coordinated responses to public health challenges.
This episode explores how GS1 standards help healthcare organisations and national authorities build resilient, connected supply chains, ensuring that critical decisions can be made quickly, accurately and with confidence when it matters most.

In this episode of SCAN/STORIES, discover how a hospital in Japan transformed patient safety in one of healthcare's most complex treatment environments through the power of barcode scanning and GS1 standards.
Dialysis requires hundreds of critical checks every day. Patients, medications, medical devices and healthcare professionals must all be correctly matched throughout every treatment session. In busy clinical settings, even small errors can have serious consequences.
At Shinseikai Daiichi Hospital, the challenge was not simply adding more checks. It was creating a system where verification happens automatically, accurately and consistently. By implementing GS1 barcodes on medications and dialysers, combined with bedside scanning, the hospital established a real-time verification process that confirms the right patient, the right treatment and the right product at the point of care.
Every scan connects trusted information across people, products and systems, helping healthcare professionals work with greater confidence while reducing reliance on manual checks and memory.
The results have been remarkable. The hospital reduced incidents and errors by more than 90%, while improving workflow efficiency, team coordination and visibility across the care process.
This episode explores how trusted data, interoperability and collaboration, enabled by GS1 standards, are helping healthcare organisations build safer systems where patient safety is embedded into every step of care.

In this episode of SCAN/STORIES, discover how Johnson & Johnson is helping transform access to patient information through digital labelling, powered by a single barcode.
For decades, patients have relied on paper leaflets inside medicine boxes to access critical information. But these leaflets can be difficult to read, easy to lose, and hard to keep up to date. As healthcare becomes more digital, patients and professionals alike are expecting faster, clearer, and more accessible information, right when they need it.
Johnson & Johnson, working closely with regulators and industry partners, is addressing this challenge by exploring a shift toward digital labelling. At the heart of this transformation is the use of GS1 DataMatrix barcodes, enabling patients and healthcare professionals to access trusted, real-time product information with a simple smartphone scan.
By linking each product to digital information through global identifiers like the GTIN, this approach removes the need to search for instructions or rely solely on paper. Instead, users can instantly access accurate, up-to-date information directly from a reliable source.
But this shift is not just about technology. It requires careful consideration of usability, patient inclusion, and trust. From clear on-pack guidance to phased implementation and education, the approach ensures that no one is left behind as healthcare systems evolve.
This episode explores how global standards and cross-sector collaboration are enabling a more connected, interoperable healthcare ecosystem, where one product, one barcode can unlock better access to information, improve patient understanding, and ultimately support safer, more informed care.

In this first episode of Season 2 of SCAN/STORIES, discover how Danish hospitals are tackling medicine waste and improving patient care with nothing more than barcodes, smartphones, and strong collaboration.
In the Central Denmark Region, hospital pharmacists were struggling with expired medicines, fragmented stock rooms, and time-consuming manual checks. With thousands of products spread across hundreds of locations, valuable medicines were often going to waste simply because there was no easy way to track or share them in time.
That changed with the introduction of a simple, barcode-based app built on GS1 global standards. By scanning GS1 DataMatrix barcodes using a smartphone, pharmacists can instantly access expiry dates and product details, identify medicines at risk of expiring, and reallocate them across hospitals before it is too late.
Powered by global identifiers like the GTIN, the solution delivers fast, accurate visibility without adding complexity. Since 2022, it has helped reallocate nearly 4,000 medicine packages, saving over €260,000, reducing waste, and supporting more sustainable healthcare operations.
This episode shows how trusted data and global standards can unlock practical, scalable innovation, proving that smarter stock management is not just about efficiency, but about safer care for patients.

In this special after-show episode, we continue the conversation on smarter medicine stock management with Rune Dalsenni Rask, the software developer behind the barcode-based app created in the Central Denmark Region.
Building on Episode 25, Rune shares the story behind the solution, from the initial problem pharmacists were facing, to the practical choices that shaped the app’s design. We explore how close collaboration between pharmacists and developers, combined with GS1 standards and GS1 DataMatrix barcodes, made it possible to turn a simple idea into a scalable, real-world solution.
This bonus episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how digital tools built on global standards can deliver fast impact in healthcare, and why simplicity and usability are often the key to successful innovation.