Usability and Medication Error Rates of Pneumatic Versus Volumetric Pumps During a Perioperative Cardiac Surgery Simulation: A Prospective Pilot Study

Steven B Greenberg; Nicholas B Clevenger; Andrew R Locke; John Cram; Kyle Petty; Chi Wang; Mohammed Minhaj

doi:10.1097/SIH.0000000000000871

Usability and Medication Error Rates of Pneumatic Versus Volumetric Pumps During a Perioperative Cardiac Surgery Simulation: A Prospective Pilot Study

Simul Healthc. 2025 Jul 3. doi: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000871. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Steven B Greenberg¹, Nicholas B Clevenger, Andrew R Locke, John Cram, Kyle Petty, Chi Wang, Mohammed Minhaj

Affiliation

¹ From the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine (S.B.G., N.B.C., A.R.L., K.P., M.M.), Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Pritzker School of Medicine (S.B.G.), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Grainger Center for Simulation and Innovation (J.C.), Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL; Department of Biostatistics (C.W.), Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL; and Department of Medicine (C.W.), Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

PMID: 40607864
DOI: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000871

Abstract

Introduction: This study compares 2 commercially available infusion pumps in a simulated cardiac surgical perioperative setting to assess differences in usability, medication errors, and programming workload among experienced and trainee healthcare professionals. Perioperative medications are frequently administered to patients via infusion pumps. Major issues in the perioperative period include medication errors, usability challenges, and workflow inefficiencies.

Methods: Simulation of a cardiac perioperative setting was used to observe 24 trainee and experienced healthcare professionals. The primary outcome was time to correct completion of each drug infusion task. Participants completed usability and workload surveys after each simulation.

Results: Participants were comparable with regard to demographics, prior work, and simulation experience. Results showed no significant difference with regard to time to correct completion of each drug infusion task. There was a significant increase in aggregate Systems Usability Scores among anesthesia professionals favoring use of the pneumatic pump. There were no significant differences in either cohort in aggregates score of the NASA Task Load Index.

Conclusions: Aggregate System Usability Scoring among anesthesia professionals favored pneumatic pump use. However, there were no differences in time to complete infusion task or in medication errors in each pump group.

Keywords: Medical devices and technologies; anesthesiology; mental workload; product design; system usability.