Cost savings through technological change in the administration of antibiotics.

Once-daily antibiotics (ODAs) represent a technological change in hospital processes that can lead to substantial savings of scarce resources. In a three-hospital prospective study, five antibiotics were administered to 58 patients suffering from infections classified by major body system. Savings ranged from 10.9% to 38%, depending on hospital organization, method of delivery, and daily dose. Per-unit price proved a poor indicator of hospital cost, as variable delivery costs for labor and materials ranged from 11.6% to 39.5% of total costs.