Orem, UT - In the realm of intravenously administered medications, a decimal-point error can represent an enormous, and potentially fatal, departure from the correct dosage. The magnitude of this patient safety hazard is even more daunting when one considers that two-thirds of medication errors involve injectable medications and that over half of the most severe preventable drug alerts are IV related. Smart infusion pumps are designed to add a line of defense at the bedside against such medication errors by ensuring that the right medication and dose go to the right patient every time.

KLAS interviewed over 200 healthcare professionals regarding the experiences they are having with their smart infusion pump vendors and products. The research focuses on large volumetric pumps (LVPs) with dose calculation software. Additional data on syringe and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps is also included in the report.

Patient safety is the overarching reason for the existence of smart pump technology, and the most important driver for patient safety is the functionality of the pump itself. Functionality, particularly ease of use of the pump, was the number one reason why a particular vendor's offering was selected in a purchase decision. In addition, only sixty-two percent of respondents reported that their vendor's product provides them with the needed functionality.
The five vendors included in this research are B. Braun, Baxter, Cardinal Health, Hospira, Sigma, and Smiths.

For more information about the KLAS 2008 smart pump research, contact a KLAS representative at 800-920-4109 or visit the KLAS website www.KLASresearch.com.

About KLAS
KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS' mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com.

[Ed note: Read an exclusive industry sector report on infusion pumps in the August 2008 issue of DOTmed Business News. Also online at https://www.dotmed.com/news/story/6524/]

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