Single Center Experience with Robot Technologies for Sterile Compounding: A Retrospective Review.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy automation and sterile compounding
• Medical technology and drug delivery systems

Background:

• Compounding sterile medication admixtures is labor-intensive and prone to human error.
• Robotic devices and workflow technology offer potential solutions, particularly for antineoplastic and hazardous medications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe single-center experiences with various sterile compounding robotic technologies from 2009 to 2017.
• To analyze the performance and identify barriers associated with robotic compounding of sterile medication admixtures.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of robotic devices: Intellifill i.v., Cytocare, i.v.Station, i.v.Station ONCO, and i.v.Soft Assist.
• Tracking prepared doses and validating dose accuracy via specific gravity measurement.
• Defining failure criteria: >10% variation for nonhazardous, >5% for hazardous medications.

Main Results:

• Intellifill i.v. compounded over 1,000,000 admixtures (75% of total).
• Other robots compounded 14% (i.v.Station), 7% (Cytocare), 3% (i.v.Station ONCO), and 0.7% (i.v.Soft Assist).
• Common barriers included hardware/software failures and container/supply shortages.

Conclusions:

• Robotic systems show promise but faced significant barriers to optimal performance.
• Device failures, software issues, and supply chain problems limited the ability to meet all daily parenteral dose requirements.
• Further development is needed to overcome these challenges for widespread adoption.