EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Infusion Device Policy

Is there anybody willing to share samples of there infusion device policy we have a month to put together a policy so would welcome idears and help.

For what it is worth the policy should come from a close scrutiny of the supporting maintenance manual of the infusion device that you are devising a policy for. Thus covering areas like available test equipment, level of proficiency/competency required and consideration as to what point it will need to go to a manufacturer,(if at all)for repair or calibration - taking any budgetary consideration in to account.
Hope this helps!!

Welcome to the forum, Fordy. Let's be hearing more from you, Mate.

In this case, my guess is that Wayne was thinking more about a policy for users of infusion devices (collected or issued from the Equipment Library, perhaps), rather than a maintenance support policy. Am I wrong there, Wayne?

Either way, I note that this thread has not received too many replies (?). Any news for us, then, Wayne ... how are you getting on with it? Care to share the Stoke Mandeville policy with us?

There is reference material in the article area of the site: see


https://www.ebme.co.uk/articles/management/320-making-the-case-for-an-equipment-library

and:
https://www.ebme.co.uk/articles/management

If it is just for users the policy, i my opinion, should clearly define the user responsibility for pre use checks/self test, decontamination and replacement of consumables. Should there be a requirement to document a user check?

Just another aspect I would look at.

Has the advent of "smart" pumps - sometimes with wireless network connectivity - impacted your device policy?

I don't think we're as far down that road here as you may imagine, Tim. It seems to me that the so-called "smart" pumps are not always welcome, either. Some of us have yet to be convinced that it isn't best to leave clinical decisions to the experts, as it were (ie, the clinicians themselves).

At the moment, smart pumps seem to be regarded a bit like "intelligent batteries" ... perhaps not so smart after all (and more like yet another gouging opportunity for the manufacturers).

I agree that dose error reduction systems (DERS) do not eliminate all infusion pump medication administration risks. Pushing the wrong button, working from the wrong order, or just getting interrupted when configuring a complex titration does happen. Stories make the national news here a few times a year. (The last one was some actor's twin neonates who almost died.)

Certainly DERS are not really "smart" - they're only as good as the formulary that is loaded into them. But they do protect from human error as it relates to pump configuration.

Over here if a pump configuration error results in a patient death, the hospital is not out any reimbursement. But if an injury occurs, the costs go up considerably. That's how such systems have been justified over here.

Smart pumps have reached just over 50% market penetration in the U.S.

Nice system, Tim. Sounds like you get better treatment if you're a rich "celebrity"! And if the patient is injured, the hospital loses money, but if the patient dies, the bill still gets paid! H'mmm ... let me think about that for a moment.