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Usability and Medication Error Rates of Pneumatic Versus Volumetric Pumps During a Perioperative Cardiac Surgery
Steven B Greenberg1, Nicholas B Clevenger, Andrew R Locke
1Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine (S.B.G., N.B.C., A.R.L., K.P., M.M.), Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Pritzker School of Medicine (S.B.G.), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Grainger Center for Simulation and Innovation (J.C.), Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL; Department of Biostatistics (C.W.), Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL; and Department of Medicine (C.W.), Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
A study found no significant differences in infusion pump task completion times or medication errors between two pumps. However, anesthesia professionals preferred the usability of the pneumatic pump.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Medical Device Usability
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Infusion pumps are critical for perioperative medication administration.
- Challenges include medication errors, usability issues, and workflow inefficiencies.
- This study evaluates two commercial infusion pumps in a simulated cardiac surgical setting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the usability of two infusion pumps.
- To assess differences in medication errors and programming workload.
- To evaluate performance among experienced and trainee healthcare professionals.
Main Methods:
- A simulated cardiac perioperative setting was used.
- 24 trainee and experienced healthcare professionals participated.
- Primary outcome: time to correct drug infusion task completion; secondary: usability and workload surveys.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in time to correct infusion task completion.
- Anesthesia professionals reported higher usability scores for the pneumatic pump (Systems Usability Score).
- No significant differences in workload (NASA Task Load Index) between pump groups or cohorts.
Conclusions:
- While usability favored the pneumatic pump among anesthesia professionals, no differences in task completion time or medication errors were observed.
- Infusion pump selection may consider usability alongside established performance metrics.
