Impact of Computerized Orders for Pediatric Continuous Drug Infusions on Detecting Infusion Pump Programming Errors: A Simulated Study☆
published online 09 April 2009.
Continuous infusion medications are associated with fatal adverse events in pediatric intensive care units. The effect of computerized orders on detecting infusion pumps programming errors has never been studied. Using a crossover design, we examined the effect of using computerized orders for continuous infusions as compared with that of using handwritten orders on nurse ability to detect infusion pump programming errors, time required to verify pump settings, and user satisfaction. The computerized orders saved nurses time but did not improve their ability to detect infusion pumps programming errors. Nurses preferred computerized orders. High error rate was related to manual calculations and inconsistent use of computerized orders.
dDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, MD
Corresponding author: Vinay U. Vaidya, MD.
☆ Previous presentations: (a) Sowan, A., Gaffoor, M., Soeken, K., Mills, M. E., Johantgen, M., et al. (2006, November). A comparison of medication administration errors using CPOE orders vs. handwritten orders for pediatric continuous drug infusions. Abstract presented at the American Medical Informatics Association Annual Symposium, Washington, DC. (b) Sowan, A., Soeken, K., Hilmas, E., Gaffoor, M., Mills, M. E., et al. (2006, July). The effect of computerized orders with standardized concentrations for continuous infusions on medication administration errors. Abstract presented at the 16th Annual Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD. (c) Sowan, A., Gaffoor, M., Soeken, K., Johantgen, M., Hilmas, E., et al. (2006, January 7–11). The effect of a computerized order entry (CPOE) system for the use of continuous medication infusions on nursing efficiency and error-reduction. Abstract presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 35th Critical Care Congress, San Francisco, CA.
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