Error Detection and Cost Savings With an Image-Based Workflow Management System Connected to a Computerized...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Informatics
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Antineoplastic compounding is a high-risk process prone to errors.
• Traditional verification methods may not detect all compounding errors.
• Image-based workflow management systems offer potential improvements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the error prevalence in antineoplastic compounding using an image-based workflow system (Phocus Rx).
• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of implementing this system by estimating prevented adverse event costs.

Main Methods:

• A 3-month post-implementation analysis of the Phocus Rx system in a hospital pharmacy.
• Identification, classification, and severity assessment of intercepted compounding errors.
• Estimation of adverse event probability and consequences, followed by cost-effectiveness analysis.

Main Results:

• A total compounding error rate of 0.8% (78 errors) was observed in 9872 preparations.
• Over 70% of detected errors were previously undetectable; 11.55% were potentially severe.
• The system demonstrated a cost ratio of €4.21 and a 321% return on investment.

Conclusions:

• The Phocus Rx system effectively prevented antineoplastic preparation errors from reaching patients.
• The implementation of this image-based workflow technology is cost-effective.