Getting pumped up for patient safety. Major initiative set to complete systemwide launch.
The most impactful innovations can sometimes come from the least obvious places. In 1974, a small supermarket in Troy, Ohio revolutionized the retail industry, and changed the world, with the first use of barcode scanning technology.
Today, that technology is everywhere, including Houston Methodist, where it’s an integral part of patient care. Now, with a quick point-and-click of a barcode scanner, clinicians can validate patients’ identities and document medications, specimen samples and more. Most recently, the use of barcode scanning for IV pump integration with Epic has been a systemwide initiative. This effort concludes with launches at Houston Methodist West on Oct. 31, and Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital on Nov. 14.
“IV pump integration with Epic is the crown jewel of all patient and medication safety initiatives we’ve implemented at Houston Methodist so far,” said Dr. Ghalib Abbasi, PharmD, MS, MBA, system director of pharmacy informatics. “As the first institution in the greater Houston metro area to implement this, we are well on our journey to becoming the safest hospital system in the world.”
Point, click, score. Using barcode scanners to automate documentation.
IV medication administration can be inherently complex and involves a high patient safety risk. According to the Journal of Patient Safety, “Studies have found that IV infusion is associated with 54% of all adverse drug events, 56% of medication errors and 61% of serious and life-threatening errors.” So, finding opportunities to mitigate that risk and reduce potential medication errors is vital.
Now, nurses can use barcode scanners to connect the patient, pump and medication to automatically populate into Epic. This means fewer manual data entries and errors. All the infusion details get populated into the patient’s record.
“It’s simple. Scan, scan, done. Two clicks at the end of the shift and my I&Os are done,” said a women’s service nurse at Houston Methodist Sugar Land.
Promoting patient safety, one click at a time.
Reducing the risks associated with manual data entry is a major benefit of IV pump integration. It’s estimated that simple changes, like barcode scanners and automated communication between pump and electronic health records, like Epic, can reduce manual keystrokes by approximately 86%.
There are also safety protocols built into the technology that provide a greater level of safety for our patients. Drug libraries with dosing ranges are automatically enabled when the infusion starts, ensuring patients aren’t over- or under-medicated.
“We’re driven to ensure our patients’ wellbeing in everything we do, especially when it comes to adopting new technologies or changing existing systems,” said Janet Leatherwood, RN, chief nursing officer at HMSL. “With proper training and the use of our integrated IV pumps, we’ve made our system safer by reducing the potential for clinical errors and mistakes.”
Greater focus on patient care. Less on documentation demand.
In addition to patient safety, IV pump integration creates numerous efficiencies for nurses. It’s estimated that 23% of nursing documentation involves IV infusion details. By reducing manual workflows, our nurses can focus on what matters most — our patients.
“I know documentation is important, but I became a nurse to take care of people,” said a Med/Surg nurse at Houston Methodist The Woodlands. “So, I’m grateful for any systems or technologies that let me return to that.”
With the IV pump integration, nurses also don’t have to play keyboard detective, spending time searching for and entering medication details when a simple point-and-click with a barcode scanner can capture all the necessary information. The systemwide launch also ensures all nurses are using the same workflows and standardized IV medications.
“It’s easier to keep track of your intake and output on our critically ill ICU patients,” explained a Houston Methodist Hospital ICU nurse. “Most of our patients are on CRRT, where strict I/O monitoring is extremely important, and the pump integration takes the measurement of IV infusions off our plates as nurses.”
According to Gail Vozzella, MSN, RN, HMH chief nursing executive, “Administering and documenting IV infusion medications can be complex, so anything that streamlines and simplifies that process, without jeopardizing patient safety, is a welcome relief. After getting used to the changes, we’re seeing some real efficiencies, which is allowing nurses to focus more on direct patient care.”
Pumping up patient safety.
Our multi-year, systemwide IV pump implementation comes to a close this fall, following launches at HMW and HMCCH. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of this initiative!
Like the early use of barcode scanners, today’s IV integration with Epic is improving the consumer experience for our patients and pumping up patient safety and clinician efficiencies in our hospitals. With our patients at the center of everything we do, using tools, like barcode scanners integrated with Epic, are vital to keeping our patients safe.