Infusion device standardisation and dose error reduction software: a UK survey

Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online's data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. Abstract In 2004, the National Patient Safety Agency (NSPA) released a safety alert relating to the management and use of infusion devices in England and Wales. The alert called for the standardisation of infusion devices and a consideration of using centralised equipment systems to manage device storage. There has also been growing interest in smart pump technology, such as dose error reduction software (DERS) as a way to reduce IV medication errors. However, questions remain about the progress that has been made towards infusion device standardisation and the adoption of DERS. We report on the results of a survey investigating the extent to which the standardisation of infusion devices has occurred in the last 10 years; how far centralised equipment libraries are being used in practice; and about the prevalence of DERS use within the UK. The findings indicate that while reported standardisation levels are high, the use of centralised equipment libraries remains low, as does DERS usage. 2 Key phrases 1. Infusion device standardisation, the use of centralised equipment libraries and DERS have all been suggested as ways to improve patient safety but there has been little research on establishing the prevalence of all three on a national level. 2. Progress has been made towards infusion device standardisation, however " standardisation " does not always mean that only one type of device is being used, and there is still some variability in the devices used across whole organisations. 3. Due to specific clinical areas requiring different devices or alternative configurations of the same device centralised equipment libraries are not the most common method of device storage management across entire hospitals. 4. Due to the significant practical and organisational challenges that face institutions wishing to implement DERS, only a small number of hospitals are using this technology, especially across entire trusts and health boards. 5. Obstacles to the implementation of DERS include existing device contracts, the significant time and resources required, not being convinced of the technology, and complications related to a lack of standardisation.