CME Medical urges hospices to improve patient safety with T34 Ambulatory Syringe Pump

Helping hospices to implement the NPSA alert on Safer Ambulatory Syringe Drivers

CME Medical, is urging hospices to improve their patient safety as part of Hospice Care Week (Oct 7-13) by making the transition from using older ambulatory syringe drivers to using its own T34^TM Ambulatory Syringe Pump, to help meet National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) guidance.

The aim of Hospice Care Week is to make sure there continues to be more quality hospice care available to more people facing the end of life, and to make sure hospices are able to continue to provide unique, personal quality care for people of all ages.

The NPSA Rapid Response Report – RRRO19 – Safer Ambulatory Syringe Drivers – highlighted several issues connected with older types of syringe drivers which have led to patient safety issues and even the death of patients. Between 1 January 2005 and 30 June 2010 the NPSA received reports of eight deaths and 167 non-fatal incidents involving ambulatory syringe drivers.

The problem identified with older ambulatory syringe drivers highlighted in the NPSA report, showed that some older types have rate settings in millimetres (mm) of syringe plunger travel, instead of millilitres (ml). According to the NPSA, errors have occurred due to incorrect infusion rates from inaccurate measurement or miscalculation or incorrect rate setting of the device. Another issue is some models use mm per hour while others use mm per 24 hours.

CME Medical has already helped many healthcare organisations to make the transition to the T34^TM, which is one of the only pumps on the market which meets all of the NPSA requirements.

John Carrington, Managing Director for CME Medical, said: “We understand the challenge that organisations face in the transition from long-established equipment to a new ambulatory syringe driver. We have already helped over 50% of UK NHS Trusts through the process and are keen to offer the same support to our hospices and help them give the best care possible to their patients.”

Source: http://www.cmemedical.co.uk/