Management of Infusion Pumps in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia

Abstract

Infusion pumps are used by clinical staff to deliver medications and fluids intravenously to patients. Each of the 27 hospitals in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia has a fleet of Alaris™ infusion pumps, and these pumps are often shared among the units of each hospital. There are several challenges associated with the management and support of a mobile pump fleet, namely: perceived pump shortages, misplaced pumps across hospitals (i.e. mixing of pump fleets following patient transfers), and difficulties associated with identifying, locating, and tracking specific pump modules due for preventative maintenance. This project sought to discover, document, and critically assess hospital-level processes for pump redistribution across units, return of pumps following patient transfers between hospitals, and local management of preventative maintenance logistics by Biomedical Engineering Technologists. Recommendations are provided to improve each of these processes.