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Related Experiment Videos

Weight variability of pharmacist-dispensed split tablets.

Jack M Rosenberg1, Joseph P Nathan, Fotios Plakogiannis

  • 1International Drug Information Center, Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201-5497, USA. j666666@pol.net

Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association (Washington, D.C. : 1996)
|April 3, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Pharmacists splitting tablets for patients resulted in significant weight variations. Over 30% of split tablets did not meet United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards for weight uniformity, indicating a need for new guidelines.

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Clinical Pharmacy

Background:

  • Tablet splitting is a common practice by pharmacists to achieve specific dosages.
  • The weight uniformity of split tablets is crucial for ensuring accurate dosing and therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the weight uniformity of tablet fragments dispensed by pharmacists.
  • To compare the actual fragment weights (FWs) with theoretical weights (TWs) and assess adherence to United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards.

Main Methods:

  • A pre-post comparison study was conducted.
  • Laboratory analysis of 560 split tablet halves from 22 dispensed prescriptions was performed.
  • Fragment weights (FWs) were determined and compared to mathematically derived theoretical weights (TWs).

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Main Results:

  • A significant difference between mean TW and mean FW was observed in 9.1% of prescriptions.
  • Over 45% of prescriptions contained split tablet halves with weights deviating more than 15% from the mean FW or TW.
  • Only 31.8% of dispensed prescriptions met USP criteria for weight variation (FWs within 15% of mean FW and standard deviations ≤6% of mean FW).

Conclusions:

  • Tablet splitting by pharmacists leads to a high incidence of unacceptable weight variation.
  • Current practices do not consistently ensure the uniformity of split tablets.
  • Development of specific standards for split tablet uniformity is recommended.