Proposing a Solution

What can be done in order to fix this problem, and improve the safety, and efficiency and quality of our patient care?

So much! Imagine if we had a safer, easier, and less stressful means of administering intravenous medications to our patients. All of this could be done, if there was an "ongoing conversation", or communication between the electronic medical record, and the pump.

And for this, we need improved interoperability. According to Harrington (2018), interoperability refers to the ability of two or more systems to exchange data and then use that information in a meaningful manner. Interoperability can be very beneficial for healthcare professionals, and their busy daily workflow. The use of smart IV infusion pumps with built-in medication error reduction capabilities has been proven to help prevent serious, and potentially deadly adverse effects (Biltoft & Finneman, 2018). When a pump communicates, or is interoperable with the patient's electronic health record, a medication order can be directly sent from the patient's record to the infusion pump, as soon as the order is verified by a pharmacist. This can save us time! What nurse does not need more time? I know I do!

The benefits of pump interoperability are endless. The idea of data sharing between the electronic health record, alarm management systems, and bedside equipment can help prioritize alarms, and also minimize any interruptions for the patient, as well as communicate the information needed directly to the nurse at any time. Implementing infusion pump interoperability with increased technology, can help deliver intravenous fluids and medications more effectively, and can provide one of the most safest patient care interventions (Rust & Mitchell, 2017). If established at my organization, medication safety can improve drastically, and with the information being recorded in the health record, every member of the patient's multidisciplinary team can access accurate information in a timely manner. 

But what do we need to do to get there? A series of steps should be followed:

• All IV pumps will need to be connected to the hospital's wireless network
• All IV pumps will need to be assigned to a specific patient and clinician.
• A barcode will be used to identify the IV medication that will be administered.
• All "Five Rights" of the right drug, dose, route, patient, and time will be verified and documented. 
• The IV pump will be programmed to identify the pharmacy-approved medication error.
• The IV pump will be able to eliminate the possibility of any error by prompting the nurse with a high-alert notification.
• All data will be recorded and transferred to the patient's electronic health record automatically and immediately. 
• Any medication given that requires continuous monitoring will automatically prompt the care team.
• Any alerts or alarms affecting the infusion from being administered will automatically be sent to the patient's nurse. 
• If the IV pump needs to be serviced, the appropriate facility or information technology department will be notified. 

Think about it. This will accurately track all of the IV intake for our patients, and the providers will no longer be upset for the nurses not documenting the IV rates every hour. It will automatically be done for us! It does not get simpler than that.