Time Timer
A study conducted by Tara McCurdie, Varuna Prakash, and Patricia Trbovich at Healthcare Human Factors, Techna Institute, and University Health Network found that using a visual timer significantly reduced errors during an IV push.
"Prior to starting an IV push, the nurse is required to set the visual timer to the prescribed delivery time (e.g., 10 minutes). The timer counts down by reducing the visible colour block until zero, without an audible alarm or distraction. This low-cost solution was intended to provide a quick and intuitive way of keeping track of medication delivery time, even if the nurse is interrupted."
The focus groups were instrumental in uncovering additional insights regarding the necessity of interruptions, specifically from patients, during IV push administration. These findings permitted a shift in the focus of the intervention design that eventually led to improved error rates in the intervention condition. The visual timer was introduced to increase nurses’ resiliency to expected interruptions, rather than to reduce those interruptions.
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