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Compliance with safe practices for preparing parenteral nutrition formulations
Brian C O'Neal1, Philip J Schneider, Craig A Pedersen
1Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC), College of Pharmacy, Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, USA.
Summary
Pharmacists show high compliance with parenteral nutrition preparation guidelines, but struggle with labeling accuracy and inter-facility communication. Improving these areas is crucial for patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacy Practice
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Nutritional Support
Background:
- The National Advisory Group on Standards and Practice Guidelines for Parenteral Nutrition (NAG) provides critical recommendations for safe preparation.
- Assessing adherence to these guidelines is essential for ensuring quality patient care in nutritional support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the level of compliance among pharmacists with the NAG guidelines for parenteral nutrition formulation.
- To identify specific areas of high and low adherence to these standards in practice.
Main Methods:
- A national survey using a questionnaire based on NAG guidelines was distributed to 1445 pharmacists.
- Usable responses from 633 pharmacists (45.2% response rate) were analyzed to determine compliance levels.
Main Results:
- High compliance (over 78%) was observed for guidelines on filtration, product verification, aseptic technique, and pharmacist assessment of formulations.
- Low compliance (below 34%) was noted for labeling with dosing weight, using "amount per day" for ingredients, pharmacist-to-pharmacist communication during transfers, and daily quality assurance testing.
Conclusions:
- While many NAG guidelines are followed, significant discrepancies exist in critical areas impacting medication safety and continuity of care.
- Focusing on improving labeling practices, interprofessional communication, and quality assurance testing is recommended to enhance parenteral nutrition safety.