Original Title: Beneficios y riesgos en el uso de bombas de infusión inteligentes (Smart pumps) para la administración de medicamentos por vía parenteral

Authors' objectives: The objective of this report is to assess the benefits and risks associated with the use of smart infusion pumps for parenteral drug administration in hospital settings, with a particular focus on their impact on medication error reduction, process safety, and the organizational and economic implications of their implementation.

Authors' results and conclusions: RESULTS: The available evidence indicates that smart infusion pumps may reduce certain types of medication errors, particularly those related to dose and infusion rate programming. Studies focusing on interoperability with electronic prescribing systems report more consistent improvements in drug library compliance and reductions in high-risk alerts. However, most studies use before–after designs and primarily assess process-related outcomes, limiting conclusions regarding direct effects on clinical adverse events. Identified challenges include alert fatigue, reliance on well-maintained drug libraries, and the need for adequate staff training. CONCLUSIONS: Smart infusion pumps may contribute to improving the safety of parenteral edication administration in hospital settings, especially when interoperable with clinical information systems. Nevertheless, the current evidence base is limited and heterogeneous, and the impact of these devices is strongly influenced by organizational and human factors. Their implementation should therefore be part of a comprehensive patient safety strategy and accompanied by appropriate training, monitoring, and ongoing evaluation.

Authors' methods: A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and organizational impact of smart infusion pumps in hospitalized patients. Observational studies carried out in hospital environments comparing smart pumps with conventional infusion devices or other parenteral administration methods were included. During the review process, the scope was expanded to incorporate studies assessing interoperability between smart pumps and electronic health record systems, as this component was identified as critical to the performance of the technology

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2026

URL for published report: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/27622

URL for additional information: https://redets.sanidad.gob.es/productos/buscarProductos.do?metodo=detalle&id=1482

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Spain

Organisation Name: Agencia de Evaluacion de Tecnologias Sanitarias

Contact Address: Instituto de Salud "Carlos III", Calle Sinesio Delgado 6, Pabellon 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain. Tel: +34 9 1 822 2005; Fax: +34 9 1 387 7841;

Contact Name: Esther E. García Carpintero

Contact Email: eegarcia@isciii.es

Copyright: Agencia de Evaluacion de Tecnologias Sanitarias