Cheers to BWH’s Smart Pump Team
The BWH multidisciplinary Smart Infusion Pump Upgrade team won a Cheers Award from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP). The team, led by Carol Luppi BSN, RN, nurse educator for technology and Pharmacy’s Jon Silverman, PharmD, included Anne Bane, MSN, RN, manager of Clinical Systems Innovations, Chris Niemann, PharmD, and Paul Szumita, PharmD.
They were honored during the Dec. 4 Institute for Safe Medication Practices annual awards dinner in Las Vegas.
The BWH team was honored for its extensive implementation of smart pumps, which was accomplished through detailed mapping of the clinical workflow, involvement of front-line pump users to create the smart pump library and mentoring nurses to maximize the use of the pumps to their full capabilities to help prevent errors. By involving nurse end-users in building the pump library, BWH created warnings that were most meaningful to the users and supportive of the workflow. Lessons learned from the project have been published in a chapter of the book, “The Nurse’s Role in Medication Safety,” available through Joint Commission Resources.
“Our team is so fortunate to work at an institution that understands these challenges and is committed to providing the necessary resources to solve them,” Luppi said during the awards ceremony. “BWH is dedicated to incorporating clinical innovations and technologies that complement the workflow of each of our disciplines. We are privileged to work with leaders that value the involvement of staff who are on the front lines ordering, dispensing and administering medications.”