| Description |
Automated collection of infusion pump data has existed at LDS Hospital since 1986 using a prototype Medical Information Bus (MIB). No study to date has evaluated how nurses utilize the MIB for infusion pump data. This research presents two studies on utilization of automated collection of infusion pump data. The first study was conducted in four adult Intensive Care Units (ICUs) at LDS Hospital and evaluated nurse use and perceptions of automated data collection. The second study was conducted in the ICU at McKay-Dee Hospital and collected data before and after the implementation of an automated data collection system using the IEEE 1073 MIB standard. The study on nurse usage of automated data collection at LDS Hospital was conducted from mid December of 1995 to mid March of 1996. Measured variables were the medication infused, the method of infusion, and the number of rate changes for each infusion. The nurses used the prototype MIB for 53.4% of 9,644 infusions. Of the 22,199 rate changes documented during this study, 99.35% (22,055) were documented by the MIB. To evaluate nurse perceptions of automated data collection a paper survey was distributed to the nurses in October of 1995. Of the 158 surveys distributed, 72 were returned giving a response rate of 46%. The nurses felt that the prototype MIB improved the accuracy (p < 0.001), timeliness (p < 0.001), and completeness (p < 0.001) of documentation. Of the 72 nurses who responded, 67 felt that the prototype MIB saved them time. The repeated measures trial at McKay-Dee Hospital was conducted from June 1996 through March 1997 and reported data on 6,209 infusions. Before implementation of the MIB, nurses documented an average of 0.69 rate changes per infusion. After implementation, an average of 1.32 rate changes per infusion were documented. The nurses used automated data collection for 40.7% (985) of the infusions which accounted for 76.84% (2,458) of the rate changes documented. The results of these studies showed that automated data collection systems can provide a more complete clinical record. Furthermore, nurses perceived that automated data collection improved the quality of documentation and saved them time. |
