Infusion pump inspection frequencies. How often is inspection really needed?

As noted in this issue's Evaluation of infusion pump analyzers, the frequency at which a facility inspects its infusion pumps can help determine its need for one or more analyzers. It can also have a financial impact on the clinical engineering department. In this article, we discuss inspection issues affecting infusion pumps, including our recommendations and how facilities can set intervals for their equipment. (For ECRI's procedure for inspecting infusion devices, refer to Procedure/Checklist 416-0595 in the Health Devices Inspection and Preventive Maintenance [IPM] System; contact ECRI's Communications Department at [610] 825-6000, ext. 888, for more information about this publication.)