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Errors at the administration stage are common for intravenous medications. Programmable or smart infusion pumps are widely used as a means of preventing such errors. However, prior studies have found that smart pumps alone may not significantly reduce errors, as they do not eliminate wrong-patient errors and may be prone to workarounds. This study compared three types of pumps—traditional pumps, smart pumps, and smart pumps combined with bar-code technology—in a simulated inpatient unit. The results indicate that smart pumps may reduce administration errors when combined with bar-coding or when only "hard" (unchangeable) dosing limits are used. Ultimately, creation of a "closed-loop" system that integrates technological solutions to prescription and administration errors represents the optimal solution for eliminating medication errors.

This monthly column highlights an initiative to introduce safer device connectors to prevent spinal and epidural medications from being delivered intravenously, discusses the value of independent double-checks, and shares thoughts on the 35th anniversary of this column.

This monthly article discusses incidents involving dosing errors and describes strategies to promote the safe use of oral syringes.