Automated drip rate monitoring and control system for intravenous fluids of varying viscosities

Justin Suarez; Allain Jessel Macas

doi:10.58712/jerel.v4i3.192

Authors

Justin Suarez Department of Electronics Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Philippines
Allain Jessel Macas Department of Electronics Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58712/jerel.v4i3.192

Keywords:

intravenous (IV) therapy, IV fluid monitoring, drip rate control, viscosity

Abstract

Nurses play an essential role in society by advocating for health promotion, educating the public and patients on injury and sickness prevention, engaging in rehabilitation, and giving care and support. However, increasing patient loads significantly affect nurses’ available time for critical tasks, such as monitoring intravenous (IV) fluid flow. The accuracy of IV administration can also be affected by the viscosity of the infused fluid, making precise drip rate control challenging. This study aims to develop a cost-effective IV fluid monitoring and flow rate control device using a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller board. The device would enable nurses to monitor and control the IV drip rate accurately and easily. The accuracy of a prototype sensor for measuring drip rates in different fluids with varying viscosities is evaluated through comparison with a manual method. The results indicate that the experimental method shows good agreement and accuracy compared to the manual method, with minor biases and acceptable ranges of differences. Control charts demonstrate higher precision in the experimental method, indicating stable and consistent measurements. Overall, the findings suggest that the prototype is effective in measuring drip rates and has potential for drip rate monitoring applications. The prototype demonstrated excellent performance in handling fluids of varying viscosities, surpassing 85%. The average percentage errors were 7.5% for Sodium Chloride, 7.67% for Hetastarch, and 8.09% for fresh milk. The prototype demonstrates the ability to enhance safety and precision in IV infusions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alharthi, A., & Alshagrawi, S. (2024). The Impact of Standardization of Intravenous Medication on Patient Safety and Quality of Healthcare: A Systematic Review. The Open Public Health Journal, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.2174/0118749445335795241008064623

Atanda, O., West, J., Stables, T., Johnson, C., Merrifield, R., & Kinross, J. (2023). Flow rate accuracy of infusion devices within healthcare settings: a systematic review. Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, 14. https://doi.org/10.1177/20420986231188602

Barroso, A., Estevinho, F., Hespanhol, V., Teixeira, E., Ramalho-Carvalho, J., & Araújo, A. (2024). Management of infusion-related reactions in cancer therapy: strategies and challenges. ESMO Open, 9(3), 102922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.102922

Bhavasaar, M. K., Nithya, M., Praveena, R., Bhuvaneswari, N. S., & Kalaiselvi, T. (2016). Automated intravenous fluid monitoring and alerting system. 2016 IEEE Technological Innovations in ICT for Agriculture and Rural Development (TIAR), 77–80. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIAR.2016.7801217

Carayon, P., & Gurses, A. P. (2008). Nursing Workload and Patient Safety-A Human Factors Engineering Perspective. In Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2657/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK2657.pdf

Ding, H., Tong, T., Liu, S., Tang, L., & Chen, Z. (2025). Medication Safety in Intravenous Therapy: Compatibility of Etoposide With Frequently Drugs Used in Tumour Critical Care During Simulated Y-Site Administration [Corrigendum]. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, Volume 19, 1669–1670. https://doi.org/10.2147/DDDT.S526642

Eedes, D. J., Bailey, B., & Burger, H. (2018). Chemotherapy administration standards and guidelines: The development of a resource document. South African Journal of Oncology, 2. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajo.v2i0.48

Evans, C., Schein, J., Nelson, W., Crespi, S., Gargiulo, K., Horowicz-Mehler, N., & Panchal, S. (2007). Improving Patient and Nurse Outcomes: A Comparison of Nurse Tasks and Time Associated With Two Patient-Controlled Analgesia Modalities Using Delphi Panels. Pain Management Nursing, 8(2), 86–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2007.03.004

Hong, K. J. (2025). Patient safety management activities and perceived workload of shift?work nurses, moderated by the perceived importance of patient safety management. International Nursing Review, 72(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.13069

Iftikhar, M., Nisar, M., Zahoor, A., Khan, K., Semab, S. A., Qadeer, A., Akram, F., Muhammad, A. M., & Orakzai, M. S. (2023). Automated IV Infusion Control System Design and Development for Medical Use. Pakistan Journal of Scientific Research, 3(1), 106–112. https://doi.org/10.57041/pjosr.v3i1.969

Ko, E., Song, Y. J., Choe, K., Park, Y., Yang, S., & Lim, C. H. (2022). The Effects of Intravenous Fluid Viscosity on the Accuracy of Intravenous Infusion Flow Regulators. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 37(9). https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e71

Malbrain, M. L. N. G., Caironi, P., Hahn, R. G., Llau, J. V., McDougall, M., Patrão, L., Ridley, E., & Timmins, A. (2023). Multidisciplinary expert panel report on fluid stewardship: perspectives and practice. Annals of Intensive Care, 13(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-023-01177-y

McDowell, S. E., Ferner, H. S., & Ferner, R. E. (2009). The pathophysiology of medication errors: how and where they arise. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 67(6), 605–613. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2009.03416.x

Nimi, W. S., Jose, P. S. H., Jose, P. S. H., Jegan R., & El-Shahat, A. (2022). A Reliable and Smart E-Healthcare System for Monitoring Intravenous Fluid Level, Pulse, and Respiration Rate. International Journal of Reliable and Quality E-Healthcare, 11(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijrqeh.298632

Oh, D., Ko, M. J., Kim, J. H., Park, Y., & Moon, S. (2025). Enhanced accuracy in gravity-based intravenous infusion using pulse oximeter drop counting and measured single-drop weights. Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 20(3), 230–241. https://doi.org/10.17085/apm.25207

Oros, D., Pen?i?, M., Šulc, J., ?avi?, M., Stankovski, S., Ostoji?, G., & Ivanov, O. (2021). Smart Intravenous Infusion Dosing System. Applied Sciences, 11(2), 513. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020513

S., P., A., A., Seshadri, H., Kumar, V., Devi, R. S., Rengarajan, A., Thenmozhi, K., & Praveenkumar, P. (2020). IoT based Healthcare Monitoring and Intravenous Flow Control. 2020 International Conference on Computer Communication and Informatics (ICCCI), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCCI48352.2020.9104119

Schnock, K. O., Dykes, P. C., Albert, J., Ariosto, D., Call, R., Cameron, C., Carroll, D. L., Drucker, A. G., Fang, L., Garcia-Palm, C. A., Husch, M. M., Maddox, R. R., McDonald, N., McGuire, J., Rafie, S., Robertson, E., Saine, D., Sawyer, M. D., Smith, L. P., … Bates, D. W. (2017). The frequency of intravenous medication administration errors related to smart infusion pumps: a multihospital observational study. BMJ Quality & Safety, 26(2), 131–140. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004465

Shah, N., & Jani, Y. (2020). Implementation of Smart Infusion Pumps: A Scoping Review and Case Study Discussion of the Evidence of the Role of the Pharmacist. Pharmacy, 8(4), 239. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040239

Skog, J., Rafie, S., Schnock, K. O., Yoon, C., Lipsitz, S., & Lew, P. (2022). The Impact of Smart Pump Interoperability on Errors in Intravenous Infusion Administrations: A Multihospital Before and After Study. Journal of Patient Safety, 18(3), e666–e671. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000905

Song, Y., Wang, W., Zhang, L., Sha, L., & Lu, G. (2020). Optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow in the isolation ward for patients with coronavirus disease 2019. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 7(2), 148–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.03.009

Tamayo, R. L. J., Quintin-Gutierrez, M. K. F., Campo, M. B., Lim, M. J. F., & Labuni, P. T. (2022). Rationing of Nursing Care and its Relationship to Nurse Practice Environment in a Tertiary Public Hospital. Acta Medica Philippina, 56(3). https://doi.org/10.47895/amp.vi0.3124