A method of verifying the correct amount of a drug in a syringe, including the steps of providing a handheld electronic barcode scanning device containing digital data that includes a range of medically appropriate drug dosages to be administered to a patient by a syringe and a range of positions of a syringe plunger in relation to a syringe barrel correlated to the medically appropriate drug dosages. A drug container is scanned that causes the handheld device to display the identity of the drug and medically appropriate drug dosages. A medically appropriate drug dosage for a specific patient is determined and drawn into a syringe. The syringe is scanned and digitally compares the position of the plunger in the syringe barrel with the range of positions of the syringe plunger stored as digital data in the handheld device to verify the correct amount of drug in the syringe based on the position of the plunger.
