Implementation and evaluation of continuous infusion automatic scheduled dispensing leveraging infusion pump...

This project aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate an automatic scheduled dispensing workflow for titratable and nontitratable continuous infusions leveraging infusion pump integration within the electronic health record.

Infusion pump integration allows the development of a scheduled dispensing workflow, in which the electronic health record automatically schedules the next dispense for a continuous infusion based on the administered rate and volume of the medication. This functionality streamlines pharmacy and nursing workflows by eliminating the need for manual re-dispensing pursuant to manual tracking or nursing-to-pharmacy electronic requests. An automatic scheduled dispensing workflow was developed and piloted at a select pharmacy, with subsequent expansion throughout the health system. A retrospective, descriptive analysis was performed comparing the following data points before and after implementation: total dispenses, bags returned, and in-basket messages for continuous infusion dispenses. At the pilot site and the expansion sites, after implementation the number of in-basket messages per continuous infusion dispense decreased by 49% and 65%, respectively. An increase in the number of medication returns and the number of wasted bags per continuous infusion dispense was observed for both the pilot site and the expansion sites.

A continuous infusion scheduled dispensing workflow was successfully implemented within a health system. This workflow resulted in a reduction in nursing-to-pharmacy in-basket message communication per dispense, with an increase in returns and waste.