Glossary
Terms you'll see on medical device labels and around the app.
On the label
GTIN. The product number inside the barcode (the digits after (01) on a GS1 label). It's the same for every box of that product.
REF. The maker's catalog number, printed next to the REF symbol on the label. It's also called catalog number or vendor ref number. The app uses it to match a scan to a product and to look devices up in public databases.
LOT. The batch the item was made in, printed next to LOT. Recalls are by lot.
SN. A serial number that's unique to one item, printed next to SN. Not every product has one.
Expiry. The date after which the item shouldn't be used. Labels show it as EXP, and barcodes can carry it.
Barcode standards
GS1. The international standard behind most medical barcodes. GS1 codes, such as the square DataMatrix, or long barcodes with (01), (17), (10) and (21) in the text below, can carry the GTIN, expiry, lot, serial and sometimes the REF.
HIBCC. An older healthcare labelling standard. HIBCC codes start with a plus sign. They carry the maker's product number and often lot, expiry and serial too.
Device databases
GUDID. The FDA's Global Unique Device Identification Database, a US medical device database. When you scan a barcode the app doesn't know (see Unknown barcodes), it looks it up here first for the name, REF, maker, sizes and box size.
MDALL (Health Canada). Health Canada's Medical Devices Active Licence Listing. The app checks it by barcode if GUDID has nothing, and by REF.
Stock
Lot. See LOT above. Two units with the same product and lot came from the same batch.
FEFO. First expired, first out: use the unit that expires soonest (see Lots and expiry). When stock is scanned out, the app marks the unit with the scanned serial, else the scanned lot, else the one expiring first.
Product and item. A product is an entry in your catalog, such as a particular catheter. An item is one physical unit of it in stock, with its own lot and expiry. Ten catheters in stock are one product and ten items.
Box and unit. A box barcode can stand for several units. A site setting decides what scanning a box does (more on boxes): Add each unit in the box adds one item per unit, and Add the box as one unit treats the whole box as one stock item.
Site. One IR program's inventory and settings, with its own people, products and stock. A person can belong to several sites. See Accounts and sites.