Reducing the chance of error
Nurses need to be aware of the safe operational practices
when using infusion pumps. Examples of these include
dealing with:
■ Siphonage (free-flow): medication accidentally flows out of
syringes and IV bags under the force of gravity
■ Backtracking: accidental back-flow from one infusion line
to another
■ Post occlusion bolus: pressure can build up and be released if
clamps are subsequently opened
■ Mechanical delay in syringe pumps: to ensure an infusion
starts immediately without delay all syringe pumps should be
‘purged’when a new syringe is fitted to held reduce this error
■ Locking keypads: to help reduce the chance of accidental, or
malicious error then keypads should be locked after pumps
have been set up
■ Cleaning the pump: always following manufacturer’s
guidelines. (MHRA, 2013a)
Infusion pumps should also carry an indication of the
protocol or configuration (sometimes seen at switch-on) plus
an appropriate inventory or asset label. Nurses should also
check that the pump is within ‘service date’ and report any
faults or errors immediately. In addition, the user should also
make a note of the device’s asset number on monitoring forms
or department records to aid traceability for audit, research or
future investigation.
Modern infusion pumps will also have an internal clock that
is used to record date and time stamped events. It is important
for the nurse to know if the pump is set in Greenwich Mean
Time (GMT), or British Summer Time (BST) as the infusion
pump clock display may differ when recording or checking
medication.
The future of infusion pumps
While the safety designs of modern infusion pumps have tried
to keep up with technology, adoption of modern designs is
not universal across the UK. Some infusion pumps may be in
service for up to 10 years and their replacement held back by
lack of funding or agreed replacement strategy.Additional safety
features may only be supplied as ‘added options’and costs kept
to a minimum when procuring new devices. Some modern
infusion pumps have ‘touch-screen’ panels, akin to smartphones,
and adopt ‘user-centred design’ to help manufacturers
gain insight into the interaction between the user and the
infusion pump design.
Much has been written about the benefits of safe and
smarter infusion pumps and the use of DERS.The increased
complexity and additional time taken to set up are factors
(Oshaki et al, 2014); employers need to consider the day-today
management of these activities and properly support their
implementation and ongoing management.Although they can
bring huge benefits and reduce risks in one area,they may open
up other areas of risk not previously considered. (Lee, 2013;
Cousins et al, 2013).
Iacovides et al (2014) took a look back over the 10 years
from when the issue of DERS was raised and found today the
uptake of this critical safety software system is still poor (39%).
The study showed that reasons cited for this poor uptake of
DERS included complexity of DERS software itself, high
turnover of staff making it difficult to maintain high levels of
competent nurses to use the DERS software effectively, and a
lack of standardisation and effective management of infusion
pumps meaning DERS could not be safely implemented,
halting progress in some organisations. Despite any misgivings
or additional complexities, manufacturers and associations that
represent nurses and patients need to note the lack of progress
in the UK on this essential safety feature.