We receive many reports of incidents involving infusion pumps. These incidents are of concern as many result in patient harm or death, primarily from over-infusions.
This publication has been updated to take into account changes in devices and practices, as well as information gained from the investigation of adverse incidents and current trends in the use of infusion systems.
Aim
The purpose of this bulletin is to make recommendations on the introduction of national operational and training standards, and provide general guidelines for the purchase, management and use of infusion systems used in healthcare organisations and the community.
This document is designed to raise awareness of the nature of infusion systems, their advantages and risks, management and training issues, with a view to reducing the number of adverse incidents that arise from their use. It describes problems in the use and selection of infusion systems and the training of users.
The advice is intended particularly for:
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clinical managers
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hospital and community users of infusion devices
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medical engineering staff
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those in charge of procurement.
Scope
This document deals primarily with infusion pumps and infusion devices for fixed and ambulatory applications. Gravity controllers are addressed in less detail. The document does not cover implantable infusion devices.
Infusion systems DB 2003(02) v2.0 
