Implementation of an Enterprise Data Analytics Solution: A Quality Improvement Project to Enhance Infusion Safety...

Appropriate use of smart infusion pumps offers an opportunity to reduce IV medication administration errors. Published literature shows that most hospitals do not meet ISMP targets for DERS compliance. This project aimed to implement an infusion analytics platform to streamline data review, improve investigative efficiency, and inform efforts to enhance infusion administration safety.

A quality improvement project using longitudinal measurement was conducted from November 2023 to May 2025 at a large health system comprising 47 hospitals and 500+ clinics. Hospital sizes range from critical access (<50 beds) to tertiary academic medical centers (>500 beds). Intravenous medication administration data were captured using a vendor-provided data analytics platform and analyzed to identify opportunities for improving infusion safety and compliance.

Over 5.6 million infusions programmed on large-volume and syringe pumps were analyzed over 18 months. DERS compliance increased by 1.1% during the project period. Interoperability compliance increased from 67.4% to 68.9%. Total DERS alerts decreased from 28,040 to 10,960 (-6.65% of total infusions). Following implementation, drug library managers reported that the time required to run monthly compliance reports decreased on average by 50%, and individual event investigations decreased by 75%.

Implementation of an enterprise infusion analytics platform enabled more efficient data review and improved access to actionable insights. Actions taken were associated with improvements in DERS compliance, interoperability adoption, and a reduction in pump alerts. Further research around smart pump alerts may explore clinician-based factors influencing smart infusion pump alerts and alert response rates, clinical appropriateness of overrides, or alert dwell time.