Setting up a database with barcode functionality

[boombooms]

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to assist me. I'm setting up a monumental task for myself and to be honest I'm not entirely sure where to look.
I work at a pharmacy dealing with a large number of patients that require Webster packs (a dosage aid for elderly customers). We pack hundreds of these a week and currently the system is very inefficient. The current system involves someone making up a pack, finding the patient in an excel document and then typing in the date they packed the webster followed by their initials. On the weekend a Pharmacist will come in and check the pack and go to the excel document and mark that they have checked it (as all packs need to be checked). Finally, when the patient comes in to collect their pack or we deliver it out, a third person would come into the mix and mark off that they have collected/delivered said pack. On the front page of the excel document is a list of all the patients and when their last pack was made.

As you can imagine this system is very inefficient due to the amount of human errors that can be made, and sure enough many errors have been made. I was hoping to set up a database with all this information plus a barcode added to the pack. The general idea would be the pack would be made, scanned and the person would just have to put in their initials. When the pharmacist then checks the pack they can scan the pack again and it would update accordingly, and finally when the pack finally goes out a third scan can be made to register the pack has left the premises. All this would update in real time to give me a query of sorts to tell me who has gone out, which packs need to be made next and so on.

As you can tell this is quite the task, however, I believe if I spend some time making it up now it would save me a lot of time in future along with minimising errors. Is this at all possible or am I chasing a pipe dream? Any help as to how I might do this would be greatly appreciated.



Thank you all for your time,
Matt

[June7]

Certainly possible.

Get the data structure defined - identify data entities and relationships, build tables. Then work on how to enter/output data - the user interface.

A barcode scanner is another input device, like a keyboard, mouse, penpad. (We use weight scale as an input device.) Plug it in, install driver software, use it.

Might also need to acquire and install barcode font.

[boombooms]

Thanks for replying. The webster packs already have barcodes on them so if I could use them it would save some time. Ill look into it this weekend.

thank you again for all your help

[June7]

Could also search forum on topic 'barcode' and review other threads. Narrow the search with my username and will get 25.