Hi, We are currently switching to smart pumps at our hospital. In that conversion, it is more difficult to run meds on a secondary function. Does anyone have any information related to running medications by gravity rather than using a pump? I have looked in the INS standards and the new text book and haven't found any relevant information except for descriptions of process. I am looking for policies, literature etc.
Thanks in advance for the help.
Hannah
I would not recommend this as a way to work around the smart pump system. All the published evidence is strongly supporting the fact that those drug libraries must be developed and used correctly to realize the best benefit of those pumps. So I think most of the evidence you will find would be in support of using the secondary function and not policies or ways to avoid its use. But maybe I am not understanding your question.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
www.hadawayassociates.com
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
I totally agree with Lynn. Your hospital has invested much money and effort into the implementation of SmartPumps and you may even have a new policy in place that requires you to use safety software if the drug is in your library. What do you mean by "more difficult?" Please work with your hospital educators and possibly pharmacy to promote the use of your safety software. Peggy McDaniel RN BSN
Infusion Practice Manager, Western Region
CareFusion
Peggy McDaniel RN BSN
Infusion Practice Manager, Western Region
CareFusion
Gail McCarter, BSN,CRNI
Franklin, NH
When we went to the smart pumps there was some difficulty with the secondary feature, and a lot of nurses using the 'basic' feature instead of using the library. A couple of months after the pumps were in use, we had the teaching team come back for a couple of days. It was a more 'advanced' class, was well attended, and the use of the pumps improved greatly. The nurses were also encouraged to 'call in' any drug that they needed to give and can't find on the library, and in short order we had everything working smoothly. Now nobody wants to gravity drip anything! It can be a tough learning curve, but well worth it.
Gail McCarter, BSN,CRNI
Franklin, NH