Pa. hospital simplifies IV administration by linking EMR, infusion pumps

By linking an auto-programmed system of "smart" infusion pumps to barcoded medication administration and electronic medical records technology, a Pennsylvania community hospital has greatly improved workflow and likely lowered error risk.

"Our goal was to demonstrate that auto-programming provides an additional layer of safety than the stand-alone technologies and by streamlining the IV medication administration process, the potential for error would be reduced," Amanda Prusch, medication safety pharmacist at Lancaster (Pa.) General Health, tells Healthcare IT News.

Working with EMR vendor Cerner and infusion pump supplier Hospira, the hospital has been able to cut the amount of time nurses spend programming infusion pumps by nearly one-quarter and the programming process from 17 steps to seven. Reprogramming has fallen by 90 percent, Lancaster General reports. "It is an industry-changing step for the industry to have hard data showing the improved patient safety and efficiency benefits of auto programming, which we have known anecdotally for years," Symeria Hudson, Hospira's vice president of medication management systems, says.

To learn more:
- check out this Healthcare IT News story

Related Articles:
Supplier exec: Connectivity will unleash the power of health IT
La. hospital's EHR automatically programs wireless infusion pumps
Military pharmacies automate with bar coding, dispensing