Indispensable to healthcare service delivery, infusion pumps administer fluids, medications, and nourishment with great precision. However, the technology of these pumps is still fraught with a lack of pump safety and usability. As per a report by Coherent Market Insights, the global infusion pump market was valued as of 2022 at US$ 8.87 billion and is expected to grow to US$ 16.91 billion by 2030, growing at a rate of 8.4% from 2023 to 2030. With several problems facing the industry, the infusion pump technology has made great progress in recent times in overcoming such problems while providing the much-needed innovation to improve the safety and the functionality of the devices.
Issues with Infusion Pump Design
Patient safety is one of the parameters most designing the infusion pump must largely factor in as part of the essential challenges. Patients critical in nature and needing infusion to deliver precise doses can be ruined by even slight errors in flow rate or dosage, and therefore these devices need to be designed focusing on a more accurate and less error-prone system.
Another serious challenge is the usability of the infusion pumps. These devices are complex and require proper training for the healthcare professionals. Patient safety is compromised during emergency situations, leading to inadequate or excessive dosages administered to patients. These pumps have to be hooked up to the patient, and the programming of them needs to be done by the healthcare professionals, ensuring the safe operation of the patient and not putting them at risk.
According to Lawler 2018, infusion pumps have built-in medications, IV lines, or both together. This results in the increase in the possibility of occlusions, air bubbles, milieu, and so on, which can present a problem in the treatment. Therefore, a system’s continuous monitoring is essential in order for the set to function appropriately.
Emergence of New Drug Delivery Systems
Development of drug delivery systems has influenced significantly the evolution of infusion pump technology. The integration of a smart infusion pump is one of the most significant achievements ever made in this area. These devices have mechanisms that assist in making use of real-time data, monitors, patients’ history, and intelligent alarms for ease and safety during usage.
In the event of occlusions or air bubbles, smart infusion pumps have integrated capability to alter the flow rate. Their alarm systems have been created to eliminate some errors by notifying clinicians virtually if there is something wrong with the patient.
Moreover, integrated drug libraries are essential in the administration of correct medicine to ensure that safe limits are given to patients. All of these features decrease the chances of overdosing and enhance patient safety overall.
EHR Integration and Remote Monitoring
EHRs allow medical personnel to track and monitor pumps without physically being there, and this is made possible through the smart features that have been embedded into infusion pumps. This is another advancement in the infusion pump technology, providing improved usability and flexible options.
The clinicians can easily keep track of the treatment in progress with the help of these real-time monitoring and connectivity technologies and also modify it in case a need arises. The clinical team is notified immediately if any issue occurs, ensuring timely intervention. Remote monitoring does facilitate tracking of the patient’s status and helps make better decisions, improving the outcomes.
Conclusion
The design of infusion pumps does pose some challenges, however, in regards to the medicine dollies, especially the smart infusion pumps, and the recent increase in connectivity has ensured that these devices are better and even more advanced. It can clearly be seen that infusion pumps are definitely able to enhance patient care, minimize errors, and significantly improve treatment outcomes.
