I have briefly read the excerpt that KLAS wrote, (March 16, 2010) but these are my initial comments. First of all, I do not think the healthcare community should actually pay for a report, but then again this is their business model. Does the analyst have a technical or clinical background or depth of experience, you just have to ask this; and what is their frame of reference?
The overall accepting of what is "termed" a smart pump seems to be based on many variables. I think truly the use of world "smart pump" has been overused. First what is the overall functionality and user interface, wireless capability, and a back end HL7 interface to an agnostic EMR, is it automated to help the clinician, or does this add extra workload? Just like patient monitoring in some respects infusion therapy is being a little comoditized. The LVP has not changed much in many decades from the basic functionality, but there are some cute user interfaces; at the end of the day, an LVP is an LVP. Wireless capabilities are pretty much universal, i.e. 802.11a/b/g. In reality all wireless plays in this sense is to download drug libraries and upload log files. This is transaction based and not quote life critical in nature and some infusion pumps simply hold this data in cache even in out of range of a wireless network. Wireless simply replaces the legacy serial interface to upload drug libraries and download log files. The author has been there and done that.
The key here is to make the clinician experience easier and better. Not throw technology out into the mainstream. Clinicians went to school to take care of patients, not technology. There should be some ability to create automation around the point of care to help them. This does not or should not have to force the clinician having to use a bar code scanner always at each point of care interface (however this does have a place), but maybe automate real time the connection between the patient, the clinician, and the actual medical device. (Think RFID), or some software connection in the background making the automation connection. Then the clinician simply has to confirm this convergence on like say a Capsule Neuron www.capsuletech.com and it actually or could backfill any EMR. This means EPIC, Cerner, Siemens Soarian, you name it. The key here is automation around the point of care that will reduce work load for the clinician, improve supply chain automation, improve efficiency, and decrease risk. That will save a lot of money in patient care and improve the patient experience, let alone making the better day for the clinician. In closing clinicians which are huge value assets to our healthcare systems went to school to take care of patients, not technology.
