Laila Aziz Ali
Canada
Title: Clinical Effectiveness of Smart Pump Technology in Reducing Medication Error: A Literature Review
Biography
Biography: Laila Aziz Ali
Abstract
The administration of safe medication is an integral part of the patient health management system in the hospital setting. An estimated 90% of inpatients receive intravenous (IV) medication, and most of the medication is delivered through infusion pumps. The risk of medication error can be greater when medication are administered through intermittent and continuous intravenous infusion. The use of smart pumps technology can be effective and helpful in preventing adverse drug events and intravenous medication errors. This technology is also useful in vulnerable clinical areas where patients are getting large amount of continuous infusion.
A state of science was conducted to determine the clinical effectiveness of the smart pump technology in clinical care in preventing medication errors. The search was conducted through CINAHL, MEDLINE, and SCOPUS databases from 2004 through 2014 using key words infusion pump and medication error, smart pump and medication error, smart pump and adverse drug event, smart pump technology, medication administration and smart pump, medication process, continuous quality improvement and smart pump, medication safety and smart pump, and nurse acceptance and smart pump. The literature was searched in English language to analyze the information accurately. Twenty four research article abstract was reviewed and included 10 publication that focused on the benefits of smart pump technology in a clinical setting and the effectiveness of this technology in preventing intravenous medication errors. Review of ten literature evidences suggest that quality evidence is still required to support the use of smart pumps in mitigating the risks associated with IV medication. Review of several publications showed that well-designed research is still lacking with respect to the effectiveness of smart pumps in preventing medication errors. Nevertheless, the findings in the existing research also reveal new directions for clinical practice and future research.