Infusion Therapy Simplified for Nursing and Medical Staff
Infusion Therapy is one of the fundamental disciplines studied during a nurses’ training, pertaining to the accurate measurement of fluid balance, as well as the numerous ways a patient can rapidly lose fluids; all of which must be recorded accurately on the patient’s fluid chart during their hospital journey.
However, it is not always apparent how much replacement fluid the patient needs. There are many situations where the patient fluid loss is critical, so it is vital to review the fluid balance every day by senior members of the team. This task should not be taken lightly and is a routine procedure that should be adopted. Everyone involved with patient care has an important role in observing patient’s fluid balance. Careful and accurate fluid management will improve patient outcomes and hopefully shorten their hospital stay.
It is commonplace in the ward environment for all volumetric pumps to be alarming simultaneously, which increases the demand on staff who must invest time resetting the devices. Remembering that while the pump alarms, it is possible that no fluids will be entering the patient’s circulation. However, from the onset, we must assume that the wards and departments have enough pumps to support the current needs and that the hospital can afford expensive pump sets.
In light of these issues, a Finnish company – Monidor – have developed a device to help nurses observe the patient’s infusion therapy. Monidrop is a lightweight, intuitive device that monitors the patient’s IV fluid intake and will alarm occlusion, incorrect flow rates and tracks the total of fluids infused. The Monidrop® device is especially designed for maintenance infusion monitoring and is also highly beneficial for blood transfusions, antibiotic and other drug therapies. Monidrop is the missing link between manual IV therapy and the absolute need for an Infusion pump.
Monidrop was recently launched as part of the EBME Conference in Milton Keynes, which is showcased in this video:
Please contact us if you would like further information on Monidrop
Please also view a recent article from the NHS Fife Scotland website, where they have collected vital information about infusion therapy.
http://nhsscotlandevent.com/sites/default/files/FluidsPosterS-31.pdf
Further reading:
NICE Guidelines for adult Infusion Therapy in Hospitals:
