Methods and apparatus for programming a medical pump

An infusion method for administrating an infusion therapy to a patient, the method comprising:

• receiving, in an interface communicatively coupled to an infusion pump, a medication name of a medication to be administered for the infusion therapy and related program parameter values including a medication dose program parameter value and an infusion time program parameter value;
• loading, via a controller of the infusion pump, a drug library file corresponding to the medication name from a memory storing a plurality of drug library files each for a different medication, the loaded drug library file including a medication dose limit;
• determining, via the controller, if the medication dose program parameter value exceeds the medication dose limit;
• providing, via the controller, an alarm if the medication dose program parameter value exceeds the medication dose limit;
• receiving, in the interface, a change to the infusion time program parameter value, where the change to the infusion time program parameter value causes modification of the medication dose limit such that the medication dose limit becomes greater than the medication dose program parameter value;
• and
• administering, via the infusion pump, the infusion therapy based on the changed infusion time program parameter value.

An infusion pump apparatus for administrating an infusion therapy to a patient, the apparatus comprising:

• a controller communicatively coupled to an interface and a memory storing a plurality of drug library files each for a different medication, the controller configured to:
• store to the memory a medication name of a medication to be administered for the infusion therapy and related program parameter values including a medication dose program parameter value and an infusion time program parameter value,
• select a drug library file corresponding to the medication name from the memory, the selected drug library file including a medication dose limit,
• determine if the medication dose program parameter value exceeds the medication dose limit,
• provide an alarm if the medication dose program parameter value exceeds the medication dose limit,
• receive a change to the infusion time program parameter value, where the change to the infusion time program parameter value causes modification of the medication dose limit such that the medication dose limit becomes greater than the medication dose program parameter value, and
• administer the infusion therapy based on the changed infusion time program parameter value via the infusion pump apparatus.