Checking the 5 rights of infusion therapy safety has been a nurse’s responsibility since the inception of IV administrations in healthcare. But the process for ensuring that the correct medication is delivered to the right patient, at the right dose and rate, at the right time, and using the prescribed route has evolved significantly.
From verbal orders and paper processes, we have moved to electronic medical records (EMRs) as the central component supporting nurses in this complex task. Accelero Connect® from iatricSystems™ is a software solution that transmits IV orders from the EMR to infusion pumps, automating these processes and aiding nurses in organizing infusions and verifying patient safety checks.
Smart Pump EMR Integration Is a Bidirectional Process:
Auto-Programming
Auto-Documentation
In a recent podcast discussion, Alberta Guy, a product consultant at iatricSystems, and Wendi Denham, an independent clinical strategist, explored the impact of auto-programming smart pumps on nursing workflow. The conversation highlighted how innovative solutions like Accelero Connect and Fresenius Kabi’s Ivenix Infusion System, with optional EMR integration, are helping to transform and streamline processes that can help enhance patient safety.
Alberta Guy, BSN, RN is an experienced critical care nurse with 30 years of informatics experience, dedicating the past 7 years to smart pump device integration. She received her BSN from California University of Pennsylvania.
Wendi Denham, MBA, BSN, RN, NI-BC is an experienced ED/Trauma and CVICU nurse and clinical educator with almost 10 years of experience installing and integrating infusion devices with EMRs across the country. She received her MBA from Arizona State University and a certificate in healthcare change management from Cornell.
The Challenge of Manual Infusion Programming
Nurses face a number of challenges when programming infusions manually. They must navigate up to 7 different parameters, including patient weights, dosage calculations, and compatibility checks, to ensure the safe administration of infusions. This complexity can leave room for error and inefficiency.
Alberta explained that automating the programming of IV orders may drastically reduce the number of steps from 17 to just 7 (observed during one hospital’s smart pump integration project), underscoring the potential for technology that can help simplify and improve nursing workflows.
The Role of Accelero Connect
Accelero Connect plays a pivotal role in supporting patient safety checks through its integration with bedside medication verification (BMV). Alberta detailed how the system captures IV medication orders on the nurse’s EMR, allowing for seamless verification and reduced movement around the bed.
“This second scan, a unique Accelero Connect feature, reduces the movement between the EMR and the pump scanning process, allowing the nurse to avoid a walk around the bed, especially in situations when the EMR workstation and the pump are on opposite sides of the bed.”
—Alberta Guy
The Ivenix Infusion System: A Game Changer
Wendi goes on to highlight the unique value of the Ivenix Infusion System in the EMR integration landscape. One feature is the rapid updating of the drug library, which eliminates the need for nurses to restart pumps or navigate complex menus. This ensures that changes are applied within minutes, facilitating swift alignment between the EMR formulary and the pump drug library.1
Another aspect is the pump’s accurate delivery under typical clinical conditions. Cleared by the FDA in 2019, the Ivenix pump maintains accuracy within plus or minus 5%.*,1 This precision is vital to help ensure accurate data reporting, which is integral for both patient care and financial aspects, such as outpatient infusion billing. The Infusion Management System further helps enhance this by providing comprehensive pump usage data reports and real-time analytics through its optional Infusions Dashboard.1 These capabilities are designed to support clinical decision-making and help streamline financial processes by integrating billing data with clinical usage reports that can help improve the accuracy and efficiency of outpatient infusion billing.
“When infusions are delivered accurately, the timing of the infusion is accurately reported to the EMR.”
—Wendi Denham
Auto-programming and auto-documentation can also impact a hospital’s bottom line. Accurate infusion documentation can help prevent the rejection of charges or the need for extensive research to fix errors, potentially saving an average-sized community hospital around a million dollars annually.
*Overall accuracy +/- 5% under the following conditions: 0.5-1000 mL/hr; 5°C to 35°C ambient temperature; 10 PSIA-15.5 ambient pressure; -100 mmHg backpressure; +/- 24” inlet head height; viscosities up to 70% dextrose solution; up to 96-hour duration; microbore and macrobore sets.
Implementation
Wendi states that details matter as each task in the EMR-to-smart pump integration project represents a time burden for the hospital. She emphasizes the importance of a motivated and organized team. Ivenix leverages a software barcode to avoid applying a barcode sticker, the drug library can be updated at any time the pharmacist needs to ensure proper scanning of medications, and the service team stands at the ready to address issues as they arise to help keep the timeline on track.1
“One of the tasks that Ivenix removed from this process is applying all the stickers to the pumps for biomed. They don’t have to pull the pumps into the biomed department to make a change, so that’s a real time-saver.”
—Wendi Denham
Key Takeaways
This discussion underscores the impact that innovative software and smart pump integration can have on nursing workflows, with1:
- Rapid Drug Library Updates: Applies changes quickly, keeping the system up to date without workflow interruptions.
Fluid Delivery Timing: On-time medication delivery helps ensure reliable infusion data reporting.
EMR Integration: Facilitates auto-programming and auto-documentation, helping to reduce nurse workload.
Financial Impact: Can help in preventing billing errors and potential charge rejections, which can offer potential cost savings for hospitals.
User-Friendly Design: Displays barcodes clearly on the pump screen for reliable scans, supporting workflow efficiency.
With solutions like Accelero Connect and the Ivenix Infusion System, hospitals can help support patient safety, aim to improve efficiency, and potentially achieve financial savings. As healthcare continues to evolve, embracing new technologies will be crucial for delivering quality care in an increasingly complex environment.
For further insight into how Ivenix is designed to transform infusion therapy,
listen to the full podcast and stay tuned for more from Fresenius Kabi.
Please see the full list of warnings and cautions associated with this device
Ivenix Infusion System Large Volume Pump (LVP) Instructions for Use. Bad Homburg, Germany: Fresenius Kabi; 2024. 2. Data of file.
