In healthcare, GS1 standards, such as individual product identifiers and automatically read bar codes, increase patient safety, improve transparency in supply chains and facilitate the traceability of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

GS1 standards can be used to label and identify pharmaceuticals, medical devices, patients and service providers of healthcare and hospital beds.
 

Globally consistent, standardised imaging, saving and analysing methods promote the merging of data streams. Real-time information produced in a common language and stored in the correct place and the compatibility of systems promote communication between occupational groups as well as up-to-date decision-making processes. This enables comprehensive cost optimisation per patient and unit, among other things. 

In healthcare, the UDI identifier is a code placed on a device and/or packaging label. The manufacturer is expected to follow the official issuing entity’s instructions when generating and administering the identifiers. An individual identifier is required to ensure that each device can be identified and that the identifier can be used similarly across all markets.