Your organization has made it a priority that safety is taken into consideration when making clinical decisions. There is an opportunity to find an informatics or technology solution to improve the safety and overall well-being of patients.
Select an information technology you believe will benefit your organization. If your organization is currently using a similar product, you will compare the new technology to the one being used right now. For example, you have selected Epic for the electronic health record because your organization is currently using Meditech, which is outdated. In this case, you will compare Epic to Meditech.
If you have selected a technology your organization is not currently using, you will need to locate another one that is commercially equivalent to the one you selected. For example, your organization does not use integrated vital sign machines but you believe they will provide a significant benefit to the organization and you have selected Philips. You will need to locate another integrated vital sign machine, such as Vital Link to compare to.
Determine what 5 criteria are most important for evaluating the product, safety being foremost. Other possible criteria might be ease of use, clarity, time, etc.
Examine the 2 products and compare and contrast their strengths and weaknesses.
Evaluate the 2 products using the 5 criteria you determined to be the most important.
Create a 15- to 20-slide presentation with detailed speaker notes in which you:
Provide a detailed description of the 2 products and include your rationale for selecting one brand over the others.
Explain how the selected products could mitigate the administrative or clinical problem.
Present the result of your product evaluation. Your product evaluation should answer the following required questions:
What are the strengths and weaknesses of each product?
How does each product compare when assessed on the 5 criteria you determined to be most important?
What clinical outcomes are associated with each product? Is there evidence to support that the product is effective and safe?
Will the product integrate easily with your hospital's existing systems?
Does the product require any special training or expertise to use?
Can the product scale to meet the needs of your hospital as it grows?
Which product would be best for your organization?
Describe two ways you would implement the product.
Describe two evaluation methods. Address any relevant regulatory, legal, or ethical issues as a result of using the product.
Sample Answer
The clinical problem that presents the greatest patient safety risk in a hospital setting is medication administration error, particularly with intravenous (IV) infusions, which account for a high percentage of adverse drug events (ADEs).
The selected information technology to mitigate this risk is a Smart Infusion Pump System with Dose Error Reduction Software (DERS) and interoperability with the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA).
For comparison, I will select two leading, commercially equivalent Smart IV Pump Systems:
BD Alaris Plus System (BD)
B. Braun Space (B. Braun)
Detailed Description and Rationale (Slides 1-4)
A. BD Alaris Plus System
Description: A modular, multi-channel infusion system built around the Point-of-Care (PC) Unit. It supports large volume pumps, syringe pumps, and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) modules that connect to the central PC unit. Its primary safety feature is the Guardrails™ Suite of Safety Software (DERS), which contains a hospital-defined drug library with customizable hard (cannot be overridden) and soft (can be overridden with a documented reason) limits for infusion parameters. The system is designed for EHR interoperability (auto-programming from the physician's order and auto-documentation in the MAR).
Key Feature: The single PC Unit controls all connected modules, offering a unified user interface and consolidated data reporting.
Clinical Focus: Versatile for nearly all hospital environments, from general care to critical care.
B. B. Braun Space
Description: A compact, lightweight, and highly modular infusion system composed of independent pumps (Infusomat Space volumetric pumps and Perfusor Space syringe pumps). The pumps can be used individually or stacked onto a SpaceStation for multi-channel infusion. It includes a comprehensive DoseGuard™ Drug Library (DERS) with hard and soft limits. It is designed for EHR interoperability (e.g., using SpaceCom) for auto-programming and documentation.
Key Feature: Its small footprint and lightweight design make it ideal for easy transport (e.g., for transferring critically ill patients) and for areas with limited bedside space, like the OR or NICU. The independent modularity means that a malfunction in one pump doesn't affect others.
Clinical Focus: Strong preference in environments requiring high mobility, such as transport and critical care (ICU, NICU, OR).
C. Rationale for Selection
The organization should select the BD Alaris Plus System as the preferred technology.
Rationale: The BD Alaris system's integrated, non-disparate platform (one PC unit managing multiple modules) promotes standardized workflow for nursing staff, which is a major factor in reducing human error. While B. Braun's modularity is excellent for transport, the Alaris system's unified interface and market dominance (leading to extensive EHR integration experience and widespread clinician familiarity) provides a more robust and scalable solution for a large, general hospital environment.