Surgical satellite pharmacies in institutions with anesthesiology training programs for physicians

The results of a survey on the use of surgical satellite pharmacies in hospitals with anesthesiology training programs are reported. In June 1990 a questionnaire was mailed to 158 directors of anesthesiology training programs for physicians. The questionnaire solicited information on the presence of surgical satellite pharmacies in the training hospitals and the nature of the services provided, including accounting for controlled substances. Responses were received from 102 program directors and their designees, for a 65% response rate. Some respondents returned questionnaires completed by affiliated hospitals; a total of 137 responses were accumulated. Surgical satellite pharmacies were present in 46 (34%) of the 137 hospitals. Of those 46 satellite pharmacies, only 14 dispensed all controlled substances to anesthetic-administration areas. Most of the satellite pharmacies provided services at least eight hours per day. All 46 pharmacies dispensed controlled substances, 31 provided i.v. admixtures, and 12 dispensed all i.v. solutions. Accountability for controlled drugs was provided through a daily inventory count (45 satellite pharmacies), daily comparison of agents received and returned (36), review of the anesthesia record (31), random audits of individual providers (18), or quantitative or qualitative analysis of residual drugs (16). Accountability was considerably better in hospitals with surgical satellite pharmacies than in hospitals without them. Surgical satellite pharmacies provided increased accountability for controlled substances in institutions with anesthesiology training programs but did not use all the available methods for preventing drug diversion.