Baxter to Acquire Maker of Patient Safety Systems

In a move designed to reduce medication errors, Baxter International Inc. (Deerfield, IL, USA) has agreed to acquire Autros Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (Toronto, Canada). Details of the transaction were not disclosed. Autros makes wireless Internet-enabled patient management systems designed to improve patient safety by providing caregivers with the decision support needed to correctly prescribe and deliver medication. Autros will become part of Baxter's medication-delivery business, which specializes in providing electronic infusion pumps and other devices used to deliver intravenous medications.

The Autros Point-of-care Patient Management System links the doctor, pharmacist, and nurse in an interdisciplinary approach to patient care. The system includes a computerized doctor order entry module, an inpatient pharmacy module, a wireless nurse charting system, and an electronic patient medical record. The system's software links to existing hospital systems using standard interfaces and can operate on a variety of computers and personal digital assistant products to transmit orders and update patient medical records.

Baxter says the acquisition of Autros will give the company the opportunity to connect caregivers around the world with the real-time decision support they need to ensure the "five rights” of medication management: the right patient, the right medication, the right dose, the right time, and the right route of administration.

"The addition of the Autros System to our line of patient safety-focused infusion products will provide Baxter with the unmatched capability to address the important need to reduce medication errors through a comprehensive medication management system,” said David F. Drohan, senior vice president of Baxter and president of Baxter's medication delivery business.





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