Westminster, Md. – Carroll Hospital Center is one of only 10 facilities in the country utilizing a computerized safety system for the administration of intravenous (IV) medications. The Signature Edition GOLD® Infusion System with Guardrails Safety Software®, manufactured by Alaris Medical Systems, is designed to enhance patient safety by helping to prevent potential medication administration errors before they occur.

In effect, the new “smart” technology acts as an automatic safety net to alert nurses to inappropriate IV medication dosing at the point of care.

“Patient safety is our number one concern, and the new system is one of the biggest technology developments in the prevention of medication errors that we have seen,” said Larry Siegel, director of pharmacy services at Carroll Hospital Center. “We currently have checks in place to protect against patient harm with IV medication delivery, but the new system adds another measure of safety before the medication reaches the patient.”

Of all medication errors, intravenous infusion errors pose the greatest potential for harm because high-risk medications are delivered directly into the bloodstream. According to government statistics, more than half of the most serious and costly medication administration errors are IV related.

The centerpiece of the new pump system is the Guardrails Software System. As a nurse enters dosage information on the pump’s keypad, the software accesses a drug database and compares the order against hospital-established limits for minimum and maximum doses.

Any dose programmed above or below the pre-determined limit results in an alert to the clinician and prevents a wrong dose from being administered.

“This is a safety check that our nurses have never had before,” said Leslie Simmons, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., senior vice president of patient care services at Carroll Hospital Center. “The Signature System provides nurses with the support they need at the bedside, thereby lowering the risk of patient harm and improving the quality of care we are known for.”

The system’s drug database (more than 70 medications) was compiled by the hospital’s pharmacy staff based on standard drug concentration, frequency and other parameters required for a given patient care area within the hospital, such as critical care or medical-surgical. Members of the nursing education staff at Carroll Hospital Center, along with an implementation team from Alaris, provided hands-on training of the new pumps for nursing staff and anesthesiologists.

Founded in 1961 as Carroll County General Hospital, Carroll Hospital Center is a nonprofit, acute care facility offering a continuum of services, including comprehensive inpatient, outpatient and community programs.

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