GS1 Application Identifiers (AIs) are prefixes used in GS1 barcodes. These add extra information to barcodes. The numbers between brackets reflect the type of information provided (e.g. (01): Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). This means the actual information is shown in the numbers behind the brackets. A number of common AIs in healthcare:
- Product code/GTIN: AI (01)
- Lot/batch number: AI (10)
- Serial number: AI (21)
- Expiration date: AI (17)
- Production date: AI (11)
In healthcare agreements assure products are assigned a unique identification code and symbol (GS1 DataMatrix or GS1-128) on various packaging levels. Below the appropriate symbols are shown for each packaging level.