FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19 , 2008
St. John’s Mercy Introduces “Smart” IV Pumps to Enhance Patient Safety
Reflecting the highest standard of safety and quality, St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo., is replacing its standard infusion pumps with “Smart Pumps” this month. Smart Pumps are technologically advanced devices that administer intravenous (IV) medication.
“Using smart pumps to deliver IV medications will dramatically improve our response time to changes in physician orders and go a long way to modernizing how patients receive medication,” said Terri L. McLain, president of St. John’s Mercy Hospital. “These devices are an added assurance for patient safety and quality of care.”
Smart Pumps are connected to the Sisters of Mercy Heath System (Mercy) drug library. The Smart Pumps “talk” the Mercy library computers to compare dosing orders against standard dosing practices. If there is a difference between standard dosing practices and what the Smart Pump has been programmed to do, the Smart Pump alerts medical staff before the patient receives the medication.
“The new, wireless Smart Pumps are at the forefront of safety technology,” said Glenn Mitchell, M.D., Vice President of Clinical Safety for Mercy. “This is another big step in reaching Mercy’s goal of zero medication errors.”
Mercy will integrate Smart Pumps with the new electronic health record system that is being added to facilities across the Mercy health system. The electronic health record system will facilitate documentation and pump programming. Mercy will implement Smart Pumps to all of its 10 acute care hospitals in phases over the next several years.
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St. John’s Mercy Hospital is a member of the Sisters of Mercy Health System. The Hospital offers comprehensive medical, surgical, obstetric and pediatric services and has the only Level III Trauma Center located between St. Louis and Jefferson City, Mo. The Hospital is located just 50 miles southwest of St. Louis, Mo., and serves an area with more than 150,000 residents.
News Release