Achieving Outcomes With Innovative Smart Pump Technology: Partnership, Planning, and Quality Improvement

BACKGROUND: A 5-time designated Magnet academic medical center partnered with its infusion systems supplier to successfully integrate 1327 smart pumps across 45 departments with an aggressive 3-month timeline. The team also achieved quality improvement (QI) outcomes through increased drug library compliance and decreased alerts with their new technology. PROBLEM: This large academic medical center needed to implement innovative wireless infusion pump technology in a short time frame. APPROACH: The approach involved a strong partnership from the medical center and the supplier, with extensive planning and collaboration among the clinical nurse specialists and consultants from both organizations to accomplish QI goals. Lean principles were also followed to enhance efficiency and accountability. OUTCOMES: Quality improvement outcomes included 100% drug library compliance across all 6 intensive care units, a decrease in pump alert rates from 4.18% to 0.79%, and a decrease in pump programming correction rate from 0.36% to 0.06%. CONCLUSIONS: A partnership led to a large implementation being completed efficiently across an academic medical center. Through these joint efforts, quality of care was improved within a short period of time.