VCU news

By Malorie Burkett

The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System has joined a handful of hospitals around the country that use a new automated intravenous drug delivery system that reduces the possibility of errors in administering drugs.

The Alaris Medley intravenous (IV) Pump with Guardrails Software System, also called the “smart pump system,” contains approximately 1,000 commonly prescribed medications organized into clinical profiles that allow minimum and maximum dosages to be programmed for each medication.

The “smart pump system” is a new patient safety initiative aimed at reducing medication administration errors at the bedside. The lightweight, modular IV medication infusion system can administer up to four IV medications at one time and act as an “assistant” to nurses and clinicians that administer IV medications.

As a caregiver enters the dosage information into the Alaris system, the software accesses VCU Health System’s best practice database and compares the order against a preset standard for minimum and maximum doses. A clinician is alerted if any order is above or below the pre-established limits.

Main and North hospitals, the Gateway Building, Ambulatory Care Center, Nelson Clinics, Stony Point and the Children’s Pavilion all were involved in the switch from Gemini pumps to the new Alaris pumps, making the VCU Medical Center the largest hospital in Virginia to implement the large volume pumps hospitalwide.

More than 760 nursing staff participated in a simulated training session and an additional 200 were trained in their units. According to Erin Reid, administrative resident, VCU Health System, 80 percent of the nursing staff was trained on the pumps prior to the switch.

“Their willingness to become well prepared prior to the switch speaks to their dedication to delivering quality patient care,” said Reid.

The transition follows the VCU Medical Center’s 2004 implementation of CERNER, an advanced software system that assists with diagnoses and research and provides easy access to physicians, nurses and other health care professionals so they can see and process all available patient information clearly and accurately. The move to CERNER put the VCU Health System among the five completely digital health systems in the country.

Other hospitals that use the Alaris system include the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University. Alaris Medical Systems Inc., develops and markets products for the safe delivery of intravenous medications.