The Challenge
Metro General Hospital, a 500-bed regional medical center in Chicago, was facing increasing concerns about medication administration errors in their infusion therapy program. Despite comprehensive training and protocols, the hospital was averaging 12 medication errors per month related to IV infusions.
The errors ranged from incorrect dosing to wrong rate settings, putting patients at risk and exposing the hospital to liability. The nursing staff was spending excessive time double-checking pump settings, reducing their availability for direct patient care.
The Solution
Working with Acme Medical Devices, Metro General implemented a comprehensive smart infusion system across all patient care units. The solution included:
- 350 AcmePump Pro infusion pumps with dose error reduction system (DERS)
- Customized drug library with hospital-specific protocols
- Wireless integration with the hospital's electronic medical record system
- Comprehensive nursing education and training program
- Real-time monitoring and reporting dashboard
Implementation
The implementation was phased over six months, starting with the ICU and expanding to general medical-surgical units. Acme's clinical education team provided hands-on training for over 800 nurses, ensuring high adoption rates from day one.
The drug library was developed in collaboration with Metro General's pharmacy team, incorporating their existing protocols and adding new safety limits based on best practices.
The Results
Within the first year of full implementation, Metro General achieved remarkable improvements:
- 87% reduction in medication errors related to infusion therapy
- 94% drug library compliance rate across all units
- 35% reduction in time nurses spend programming pumps
- $2.3 million estimated savings from prevented adverse events
- Zero serious adverse events related to infusion errors
"The Acme smart infusion system has transformed how we deliver IV medications. Our nurses are more confident, our patients are safer, and we have the data to prove it. This was one of the best investments we've made in patient safety."
— Dr. Sarah Chen, Chief of Critical Care
Looking Forward
Metro General is now expanding their use of Acme technology, implementing AcmePump Syringe pumps in their neonatal ICU and exploring ambulatory infusion solutions for their outpatient oncology program.