By Eileen Dennis, RN, MBA

AS THE REGION’S ONLY LOCALLY GOVERNED MEDICAL FACILITY, PARKVIEW Medical Center is committed to providing the best in modern health care to the residents of Pueblo and southeastern Colorado. Parkview is a regional leader in acute medical care and behavioral medicine and has been managed by Quorum Health Resources, Inc., since 1984.

The staff at Parkview Medical Center is constantly looking for ways to improve and enhance the delivery of medication. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to help reduce the potential for errors. We know that medication errors are not necessarily the result of any lack of diligence by clinicians, but are strongly affected by the complex and error-prone environment common in hospitals today. Studies have shown that these errors can be significantly reduced by using a bar coded medication administration solution.

At Parkview, our best practices focus on improving both our people and our operations. In searching for a bedside bar coded medication administration system, it was imperative that we find the right technology to meet the unique needs of our facility. That is why we were so pleased to discover the CAREt System from IntelliDOT Corporation.

Most medication error-prevention systems rely on off-the-shelf hardware like laptops set up on rolling carts, or complicated and bulky PDAs. After closely studying the options, we determined that these products presented serious nurseusability challenges. The CAREt System from IntelliDOT is custom-designed specifically for the caregivers who use it. By implementing the CAREt System at Parkview, we found a solution that worked well for our people, as we focused on improving our operations.

The unique system design provides a dedicated handheld device that stays with each working nurse, allowing individualized communication with virtually any hospital information system through our state-of-the-art interfacing capability. This innovative, handheld system allows Parkview nurses to work with confidence, knowing that they are providing the highest levels of safety every time they administer medications to their patients.

By scanning a patient wristband, the CAREt handheld guides each nurse through all required medication administration and documentation tasks that have accumulated for their patients. Information is presented in a clear and organized manner to the nurse working at the bedside. The CAREt Handheld is practical for bedside applications because it is small and not at all cumbersome.

Our success with the CAREt System can be measured in two distinct ways: improved medication safety and increased nurse satisfaction. As we prepared to implement the CAREt System at Parkview, we set up an error study that would compare error rates before and after nurses began using the system. Prior to the implementation of the CAREt System, we knew we were making errors, but we did not know the intensity of those errors until we captured the preand post-implementation data. As demonstrated in the chart to the left, the results were impressive. Total errors dropped from 20% to 8%, and serious errors dropped to zero.

By bringing bar code medication administration technology to the bedside, we are creating a safe environment for our patients, and that is a great tool for retaining and recruiting quality nurses. Our nurses are pleased that they now have technology that really helps their patients, is user friendly, and makes them more successful in their jobs.

The CAREt System simultaneously helps our staff enhance patient safety and improve workflow. Our nurses are now spending more time on patient care and less time on paperwork. And by providing access to comprehensive clinical information at the bedside, we are providing a new level of care for our patients.
The comfort we have gained does not end with the technology. The support that Parkview has received from the IntelliDOT team during the installation process has been remarkable. When any of my nurses has a question or a concern, they know that they can quickly find an IntelliDOT team member to help.

Parkview Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in the United States to install the CAREt System facility-wide. With the CAREt System, we are giving our nurses the right tool for success, and the hospital is supporting their efforts to provide quality care at the bedside. Our patients and nurses deserve the best technology that we can give them, and I sleep better at night knowing that we are providing it.

Eileen Dennis, RN, MBA, is the vice president of patient services and the chief nursing officer at Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado. She graduated from Seton School of Nursing, in Colorado Springs, and received an MBA from the University of Phoenix. With 28 aggregate years at Parkview Medical Center, she has been in administration since 1988 and in her current role since 1999.