As a patient undergoing chemotherapy, the last thing that should be on your mind is if you will receive the right dose of medication during treatment. And for parents of pediatric chemotherapy patients, where lifesaving doses are even smaller, trust in health care providers to deliver accurate measurement of medication doses is especially important.
One University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill startup is giving patients peace of mind with its novel, simple and affordable medical device. Assure Technologies, founded by Stephen Eckel, offers Precynge, a preparation-assist device that connects to the syringe and uses the volumetric process to provide consistently accurate and precise measurements for all drug preparations.
“We know that medication errors in pediatrics occur at a rate much greater than what anybody would want,” says Eckel, associate dean for global engagement and a clinical associate professor at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “If you are able to consistently measure accurate doses for even the smallest neonates, then one can bring safety and assurance to care that currently doesn’t exist.”
Neonatal and early pediatric patients are particularly vulnerable to medication errors. Studies have found that up to 17.8 percent of hospitalized children are subject to dosing errors, and an even higher medication error rate of 34.7 percent for children receiving pre-hospital care.
| UNC-CH