Nurse perceptions of intravenous medication infusion pump implementation and medication errors

¶ … Intravenous

Nursing

Implementation of an Intravenous Medication Infusion Pump System: Implications for Nursing

The journal article title is, Implementation of an Intravenous Medication Infusion Pump System: Implications for Nursing. The title immediately makes one think that this article will discuss intravenous medication pumps in regards to nurses. Even though the title is clear, it does not offer the reader any information about the group being studied or the location of the study. In addition, the title does not refer to what the implications are for nursing in regards to the intravenous medication infusion pump and whether these implications are good or bad.

The abstract is in an excellent representation of the main points that are contained in it. The journal article's abstract is not the standard one paragraph abstract, but reads more like a list of the articles main features. The aim clearly addresses what is being studied, the perceptions of nurses in regards to the implementation of intravenous medication infusion systems and the effects on medication errors. The methods section states that 1056 nurses in a tertiary care Magnet hospital were surveyed and that the response rate was 65.43%. There is no mention of what type of research design was used. The results section of the abstract clearly depicted the outcomes of the study in that the nurses perceived that the system would enhance their ability to provide quality nursing care. Elaborating on the findings, the researchers found that job satisfaction was related to higher ratings of the nursing staff. Perceptions verified the pump was designed to promote safe nursing practices. The conclusion section states that it is important to consider relationships with job satisfaction, safe nursing practices and the importance of ratings of nursing staff when implementing new technology.

Problem Statement

The problem statement is clearly stated in the abstract and the introduction. Bowcutt et al. (2008), state that "medication errors are placing patients at high risk and creating an economic burden for hospitals and health care providers. Infusion pumps are available to decrease errors and promote safety." The problem of medication errors is vital to nursing practice because medication errors place patients at a very high risk for injury or even death. At the same time medicine errors create an economic burden for hospitals, health care providers, patients and governmental and insuring agencies. The costs for adverse drug events in the United States have been estimated in the millions of dollars every year. By studying this issue, these researchers can bring more attention to the topic and possible work towards eliminating the problem of medication errors.

Scope and Delimitation

The scope of the article was the surveying of 1056 nurses in a tertiary care Magnet hospital, about perceptions of nurses in regards to the implementation of intravenous medication infusion system technology and its impact on nursing care, reporting of medication errors and job satisfaction. All registered nurses and licensed practical nurses employed by the hospital were contacted and asked to participate in this study. The study participants made up a very heterogeneous group. The participant's ages were from 31-50; they had both associate degrees and baccalaureate degrees in nursing over half had been at that hospital for five years or more (Bowcutt et al., 2008). The researcher's delineation of studying nurses from a variety of backgrounds adds to the study's opulence and diversity. It is very important in a study like this to have a mixed group of participants.

Hypothesis

Since this is a qualitative study, there is no hypothesis presented. The purpose of the article is to analyze the nurse's perceptions of intravenous medication infusion systems and their impact on nursing care, reporting of medication errors and job satisfaction (Bowcutt et al., 2008).

Operational Definitions

The operational definition used for this article is the nurses at a tertiary Magnet hospital. Even though the participants were different in many ways, they all had one thing in common, which was that they were all nurses at this particular hospital. There were no prerequisites for inclusion in this study. This article was divided into two parts. The perceptions of nurses in regards to the impact of the intravenous medication infusion pump system was looked at in relation to several social factors and then looked at again in regards to demographic variables (Bowcutt et al., 2008).

Researchers Credentials

The researchers in this article all have advanced degrees; however, all but two are registered nurses. It is significant to note that since this article deals with nurses and hospital settings it is hard for a non-nurse to relate to the goals and findings of this study. For the study's benefit, it was a good idea to have the majority of the researchers to have RN degrees. The lead researcher Bowcutt has a master's degree in nursing. Likewise the fourth research also has a master's degree in nursing. The second and third researcher both has doctorate degrees in nursing. All of these researchers, in conjunction with the rest of the team, are well qualified to conduct research of this type. There is an added notion of validity because the majority of the researchers are registered nurses.

Purpose

The purpose of the article is clearly stated in the purpose section of the article. Bowcutt et al. (2008) state, "the purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of nurses regarding the implementation of an intravenous medication infusion system technology and its perceived impact on associated nursing care, reporting of medication errors and job satisfaction." The stated purpose of this paper is an excellent way to laying out the main essence of the study and the constant reiteration of it throughout the paper helps the reader to make connections to it as they read. Overall, the researchers did an excellent job in depicting the reason for this study.

Conceptual Framework

This study uses a conceptual framework based on Sociotechnical Systems which incorporates the technical aspects of the infusion pump system and the social subsystem or personal beliefs of nurses. "The STS Theory is based on open system theory and states that effective work sites have joint optimization of both social and technological systems" (Bowcutt et al., 2008). The article goes on to state that "It is technology-facilitated and indicator-driven with the purpose to ground quality assurance in medical practice and provide meaning to care providers" (Bowcutt et al., 2008). The researchers also used the Life Patterns Model which includes roles, relationships, support groups, self-esteem, and use of time and life structure is used in this study to frame the questions of the social and personal factors of the instrument. This model stems from an open systems framework in that changes in each of the life patterns cause changes in each of the other patterns (Bowcutt et al., 2008).

Both of these models are clearly laid out, which aids in the study's organizational structure. The researchers state that as in any open systems theory, the parties of the organization are interrelated so that changed in any one part affect all other parts. The researchers state that "The social system is composed of those people who work in the organization and the relationships among them, and is represented in this study by responses elicited on life patterns, reporting errors and job satisfaction" (Bowcutt et al., 2008). In this study the intravenous infusion pump represents the technical system tools, techniques, procedures, skills, knowledge and devices that are used by members of the social system to accomplish the task at hand.