Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Enhancing Patient Safety Using Smart Pump Technology

Smart infusion pump technology improves patient safety by providing decision support for nursing at the bedside. This includes a medication library program, and limits for medication delivery that prevent delivery of too little or too much medication. However, there may be opportunities to bypass these "safety nets," increasing the risk of error. A multidisciplinary team identified the following critical issues: the existing medication library did not always meet the needs of the staff; staff failed to consistently use the library; and lack of staff awareness of "near misses" that were caught by the upper hard limits of the library.