Determining staffing for pharmacy chemotherapy admixture program

This study was designed to assist the hospital pharmacy administrator in assessing personnel and staffing requirements for a pharmacy chemotherapy admixture service. Time study data was collected on 250 consecutive new and refill chemotherapy admixtures. Both pharmacists and technicians admixed during the 32-day study period. Protective clothing and a vertical hood were utilized. The admixtures were divided into three categories depending on the drug's original packaging (ampul or vial) and the delivery system used for the final solution (syringe or IV bag). Total processing time (compounding time plus auxiliary time plus allowance and absentee time) for all admixtures was determined. The average total processing time for new orders was determined to be 16.75 minutes with refill orders requiring 14.61 minutes. From the results of this study, it was found that an average of eight chemotherapeutic admixtures per day would require approximately 0.4 FTEs.