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Working to Reduce Medication Errors Related to Dosing and Labeling

Hospira is committed to developing products that support accurate drug selection and administration. It’s central to the way we design everything from our innovative drug delivery systems and safety support software to the labels on our medications.

According to a recent study, at least 25% of all harmful adverse drug events (ADEs) are preventable.1 Our products have a variety of features that can improve labeling and dosing accuracy, which may help to reduce the risk of medication errors. These features include:

Bar Coding

At the bedside, bar-code technology can confirm your patient's identity as well as the medication to be administered:

Hospira's line of more than 1,000 injectable pharmaceuticals and IV solutions are 100% bar-coded
LifeCare PCA™ is the only PCA pump with an integral bar-code reader for prefilled and pharmacy-filled drug vials
Our comprehensive line of emergency syringes includes the Abboject™ and Ansyr™ syringes, both 100% bar-coded at unit-of-use

Easy-to-Read Screens

Screens that use eye-catching colors and/or large fonts can help you feel more confident that you’re administering the right drug to the right patient at the right dose:

Extensive human factors engineering was incorporated into the design of the Symbiq™ infusion system. Symbiq™ features a large color screen (35 square inches) with easy-to-read, far-view display and touch-screen programming
The Plum A+™ infusion system has a clear, easy-to-read display that shows all of the dosing parameters on a single screen

Prefilled and Premixed Products

Prefilled and premixed medications can help eliminate guesswork and promote proper dosing:

iSecure™ prefilled syringes are self-contained for easy administration and disposal
FirstChoice™ premixes feature standardized concentrations that can help minimize mixing and handling errors
ADD-Vantage™ systems enable you to prepare medications quickly and accurately without needles or syringes

Innovative Technologies

Advances in technology can help you expand the horizons of your patient safety programs:

Hospira MedNet™ safety software features hard and soft limits and alerts displayed on the infusion device to help prevent dosing outside institution-defined parameters
Our leading IV Clinical Integration solution connects the medication order with the IV pump, patient information and electronic medical record (EMR) to streamline workflow and help improve patient safety. Hospira was recognized as the "early leader" in EMR integration with infusion pumps in the KLAS Smart Pumps 2012: Wireless Technology and EMR Integration Report2

Developing products that can help you ensure proper medication administration is one of our highest priorities, because we know it’s one of yours. Fonts, colors, clarity of screen displays — no detail is too small for us to improve upon, because they can all make a big difference in your confidence when caring for patients.

Preventing Medication Errors: Quality Chasm Series, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. Aspden P, Wolcott JA, Bootman JL, Cronenwett LR, eds. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11623. Accessed March 26, 2012.