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Cost of wastage in a hospital intravenous admixture program
Insights
Hospital pharmacy intravenous admixture wastage averaged 6.2%, costing over $26,000 annually. Key causes include therapy discontinuation and patient unavailability, suggesting improved communication and scheduling can reduce waste.
Area of Science:
- Hospital Pharmacy Operations
- Pharmaceutical Waste Management
- Intravenous Admixture Services
Background:
- Centralized hospital pharmacy intravenous admixture programs are crucial for medication delivery.
- Understanding and quantifying wastage within these programs is essential for cost containment and resource optimization.
- Previous assessments of wastage rates and contributing factors in such programs are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the rate of wastage in a hospital's centralized pharmacy intravenous admixture program.
- To identify the primary causes contributing to the wastage of intravenous admixture preparations.
- To estimate the financial impact of this wastage on the hospital annually.
Main Methods:
- Conducted two separate 36-day study intervals to measure wastage.
- Calculated the percentage loss of intravenous admixture preparations.
- Analyzed returned admixtures to determine the reasons for discontinuation.
Main Results:
- The average wastage rate was consistent across both study periods, standing at 6.2% of all intravenous admixture preparations.
- This wastage translated to an estimated annual financial loss of $26,077.
- Discontinuation of intravenous therapy was the leading cause, accounting for 50% of returned admixtures, followed by patient unavailability, drug regimen changes, and equipment malfunctions.
Conclusions:
- Significant financial losses are incurred due to wastage in centralized intravenous admixture programs.
- Enhancing communication between pharmacy and hospital ward units, alongside flexible scheduling, could mitigate wastage.
- Integrating pharmacists into ward units via a unit-dose dispensing system may offer a comprehensive solution to reduce pharmaceutical waste.
Abstract:
The wastage in a hospital centralized pharmacy intravenous admixture program was assessed. The loss rate was similar during two separate 36-day study intervals, averaging 6.2% of intravenous admixture preparations, accounting for an estimated loss of $26,077 for the year. Discontinuation of intravenous therapy accounted for half of the returned intravenous admixtures. Patient unavailability, drug changes, and malfunction of intravenous equipment were also causes for returns. Improved communication between hospital ward units and pharmacy personnel as well as increased flexibility in admixture preparation scheduling may reduce wastage. Ultimately, pharmacists assigned to individual ward units as part of the unit-dose pharmacy dispensing system may resolve the problem.