ISMP issues revised guidelines on safe use of smart infusion pumps
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has published updated guidelines to help healthcare practitioners maximize the intended safety benefits of smart infusion pumps and better position their organizations for bi-directional interoperability with the electronic health record (HER).
“Infusion pump-related errors have frequently occurred due to a failure to engage the dose error-reduction system and the ease with which providers may select the wrong drug library entry or override serious alerts,” says ISMP Director of Consulting Services Michelle Mandrack, MSN, RN. “ISMP has sought input from end users and key stakeholders to identify safety gaps and expand the compendium of expert-and evidence-based best practices available in this area to better protect patients.”
Even when organizations optimize the use of smart infusion pump technology, problems can still exist, often stemming from pumps operating in isolation of other electronic systems and requiring manual programming and documentation by the end user.
The ISMP Guidelines for Optimizing Safe Implementation and Use of Smart Infusion Pumps outline specific error-reduction strategies to address:
· Infrastructure
· Drug Libraries
· Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Data
· Clinical Workflow
· Interoperability with the EHR