BETHLEHEM, PA – July 30, 2015 – B. Braun Medical Inc. (B.Braun), a leader in infusion therapy and pain management, announced that it has joined forces with the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Foundation, National Coalition for Infusion Therapy Safety. The AAMI Foundation, in cooperation with industry partners such as B.Braun, healthcare providers, and national patient safety organizations, has launched an ambitious initiative to develop and promote solutions that improve patient outcomes with infusion therapy.

The National Coalition for Infusion Therapy Safety kicked-off its inaugural meeting in Annapolis, MD, with a two-day meeting that brought together clinicians, researchers, regulators, healthcare technology professionals, patient safety advocates, and industry executives, where B.Braun supported this innovative initiative as a Platinum sponsor. The meeting marks the latest effort by the AAMI Foundation, through its Healthcare Technology Safety Institute, to address key patient safety issues. The kick-off meeting featured experts who discussed how to improve compliance with drug libraries, the reasons for clinical workarounds, and other important topics.

At the coalition event, Christine Ruhl, RN, BSN, MBA, CCRN, Director, Critical Care Services at Western Maryland Health System presented their process for achieving and sustaining 100% hospital wide drug library compliance within 6 months by utilizing B.Braun’s DoseTrac^® Real-time view, reporting/analytics and unit based audits. Cheryl Grogg, RN, BSN, Nurse Manager High Level Care at Western Maryland and Cathy Sullivan, RN, MSN, FNP, CCRN, Associate Director of Sourcing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel NYC also participated in the coalition. To access this presentation and other infusion systems documented outcomes utilizing B.Braun’s smart pump technology, click here.

Rachel Vitoux, RN, MSN, MBA, CPEHR, Director of Clinical Services for B.Braun, presented how B.Braun has maximized drug library compliance and reduced smart pump alerts through its DoseTrac data and analytic service. She also presented the top 5 areas forcing clinical workarounds, with specific recommendations for improved standardization of infusion protocols and practice. B.Braun was the only industry partner company to present real-time data capabilities and the only vendor with health systems to present achievement of 100% drug library compliance.

“We are very proud to support this important initiative with AAMI and look forward to working with the foundation to improve patient safety and drug library compliance,” said Mike Golebiowski, Vice President, Automation & Infusion Systems at B.Braun. “The data results from Western Maryland Health System underscores our commitment to achieving 100% drug library compliance through our DoseTrac real-time status and analytic service. B.Braun’s work in this area has resulted in several facilities achieving 100% drug library compliance and significant reduction in hospital alerts (45-97%)¹,” added Golebiowski. 

Over the next two years, experts from B.Braun and a variety of healthcare and healthcare technology backgrounds will develop data-driven strategies to overcome a lack of compliance with drug libraries, create educational resources for multiple line infusion therapy, and share methods to reduce non-clinically actionable infusion pump alarms. The overarching theme is to find ways to improve patient safety in the context of infusion therapy.

About B. Braun
B. Braun Medical Inc. (B.Braun), a leader in infusion therapy and pain management, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medical products and services to the healthcare industry. The Company is committed to eliminating preventable treatment errors and enhancing patient, clinician and environmental safety. Guided by its “Sharing Expertise^®” philosophy, B.Braun continuously exchanges knowledge with customers, partners and clinicians to address the critical issues of improving care and lowering costs.

The B.Braun Group of Companies in the U.S. includes B.Braun, B.Braun Interventional Systems, Aesculap^® and CAPS^®. B.Braun’s U.S. headquarters is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The B.Braun Group of Companies employs more than 54,000 employees in more than 60 countries throughout the world. To learn more about B.Braun visit www.BBraunUSA.com. 

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