The Use of Smart IV Pump Technology

Introduction

The Smart IV pump technology is an invention used to address most negative outcomes linked to the use of IV drugs, which can be harmful. It is a dose error reduction software used as a patient safety intervention. These pumps have sensors, software, and connection characteristics that allow health experts to monitor and manage the infusion process. The Smart IV pump is made to deliver nutrients, fluids, and medicine to a patient’s blood safely and accurately. In Healthcare settings, the SMART IV Pump Technology promotes patient safety, increases efficiency, and enhances positive health results. The IV Pump Technology promotes patient safety by reducing the risk of dosing mistakes by informing health experts about any likelihood of an issue. Also, the pump increases efficiency by prompting healthcare experts to focus on delivering patient care as the technology simplifies work schedules by decreasing manual recording of patient data. Lastly, the IV Pump improves patient health outcomes by guaranteeing clients receive the right drug dosage.

History and Current Use of SMART IV Pump

In 1996, Smart IV pumps with dose error reduction software and drug libraries were introduced because of the new techniques to decrease infusion-related drug mistakes (Blandford et al., 2019). Mainly, these mistakes pose grave outcomes for patients either by under or overdosing, which changes the treatment impact or even causes death. During this time, the Smart Pumps decreased the occurrence of adverse IV drug circumstances and medical mistakes. However, in 2001, computerized intravenous (IV) infusion pumps were introduced (Blandford et al., 2019). These pumps’ safety software automatically warned healthcare professionals of potential IV infusion mistakes. Besides, the technology could be integrated with electronic health records, which enabled healthcare organizations to reduce medical errors. The Smart IV pumps have been improved to facilitate compatibility with other health technologies (Blandford et al., 2019).

Currently, SMART IV pumps are widely used in healthcare organizations. These pumps are mainly utilized to deliver nutrients, medications, and fluids to patients’ bloodstreams. Moreover, these pumps are used to care for critically ill patients as they alert clinicians when the client’s state changes through its alarm systems. Another use of these pumps today is that they guide healthcare experts working in the pediatric unit when administering drug doses, as accurate measures are needed when handling patients in that department.

Goals

The three objectives of the SMART IV pumps is to; One is to promote medication safety by use of drug libraries and dose error reduction software (Melton et al., 2019). Second, it aims to improve the effectiveness of operations by decreasing the likelihood of medical mistakes and prompting healthcare professionals to focus on delivering patient care. Thirdly, it seeks to support evidence-based practices by offering healthcare experts updated safety guidelines that guide them when making clinical decisions (Sutherland et al., 2022).

Impact on Healthcare and Nursing

The SMART IV pump has a positive impact on professional nursing practice. The pumps ensure patient safety by enabling nurses to administer accurate medication doses to patients and select the proper medication from the drug library (Blandford et al., 2019). As such, caregivers are exempted from making medication errors. Next, the SMART IV pump has an alarm system that helps professional nurses detect any probable issues, such as infusion level issues, which allows them to meet quality measures. Next, these pumps enable caregivers to manage risk by reducing errors that arise from incorrect dosages. The SMART IV pump has dose error reduction software and drug libraries that guide caregivers when administering patient doses (Blandford et al., 2019). As such, the likelihood of medication mistakes is reduced.

Further, using the SMART IV Pump in professional nursing practice has positive implications for the population in a particular region. This is because it promotes patient safety and positive health outcomes. Patients in the region receive quality care and are exempted from medical errors that would interfere with the treatment process. Lastly, the pump enhances organizational operations among professional nurses by integrating with other healthcare technologies, which promotes effectiveness and efficiency (Joseph et al., 2021). The use of the SMART IV Pump and electronic health records ensures that patient records are accurate and there exists effective communication among healthcare professionals, which eventually promotes patient health results.

In summary, the SMART IV pump benefits healthcare professionals as it assists them in administering medications accurately, promoting patient safety, streamlining operations, and improving their performance and efficiency.

References

Blandford, A., Dykes, P. C., Franklin, B. D., Furniss, D., Galal-Edeen, G. H., Schnock, K. O., & Bates, D. W. (2019). Intravenous infusion administration: a comparative study of practices and errors between the United States and England and their implications for patient safety. Drug Safety, 42, 1157-1165. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40264-019-00841-2

Joseph, R., Lee, S. W., Anderson, S. V., & Morrisette, M. J. (2020). Impact of interoperability of smart infusion pumps and an electronic medical record in critical care. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 77(15), 1231-1236. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxaa164

Melton, K. R., Timmons, K., Walsh, K. E., Meinzen-Derr, J. K., & Kirkendall, E. (2019). Smart pumps improve medication safety but increase alert burden in neonatal care. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 19(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-019-0945-2

Sutherland, A., Jones, M. D., Howlett, M., Arenas-Lopez, S., Patel, A., & Franklin, B. D. (2022). Developing strategic recommendations for implementing smart pumps in advanced healthcare systems to improve intravenous medication safety. Drug Safety, 45(8), 881-889. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40264-022-01203-1