Cost of wastage in a hospital intravenous admixture program.

The wastage in a hospital centralized pharmacy intravenous admixture program was assessed. The loss rate was similar during two separate 36-day study intervals, averaging 6.2% of intravenous admixture preparations, accounting for an estimated loss of $26,077 for the year. Discontinuation of intravenous therapy accounted for half of the returned intravenous admixtures. Patient unavailability, drug changes, and malfunction of intravenous equipment were also causes for returns. Improved communication between hospital ward units and pharmacy personnel as well as increased flexibility in admixture preparation scheduling may reduce wastage. Ultimately, pharmacists assigned to individual ward units as part of the unit-dose pharmacy dispensing system may resolve the problem.