Elevating Sterile Compounding Accuracy

Terri Albarano, PharmD
Director, Autonomous Pharmacy, Omnicell

Sterile compounding safety is one of the biggest challenges for the pharmacy supply chain. Injectable medications cause 1.2 million preventable adverse drug events a year, resulting in $5.1 billion in associated costs.

Health systems are expected to compound IV preparations with increasingly complex regulations, rising drug costs, and supply disruptions. Greater scrutiny is being placed on injectable medication safety, but in reality, nearly 1 out of 10 IVs is not prepared within guidelines.

Earlier this year, ISMP called for leadership focus and a regulatory mandate for CSP accuracy and error prevention, and strongly advocated for the adoption of IV compounding technology.

“We urge healthcare leaders to support the acquisition and implementation of IV workflow management systems as soon as possible in organizations with CSP processes that lack these technologies. The next patient’s life could depend upon the decisions healthcare leaders make (or fail to make) today.”

While this is widely recognized as a safety and cost issue, the industry is still slow in adopting technology solutions that support greater accuracy and sterility. That’s why ISMP recently conducted the first survey in more than 20 years specifically focused on IV accuracy.

On Monday, Nov. 9, join ISMP leaders, Matthew Grissinger, RPh, FISMP, FASCP, Christina Michalek, BSc Pharm, RPh, FASHP, and Susan Paparella, MSN, RN, as they present the results from this new study, along with best practice recommendations, during the CE-accredited session “Have We Reached Our Safety Target? An ISMP Pulse Check of Sterile Compounding Practices” as part of Omnicell Illuminate 2020. These experts will review ISMP’s findings regarding sterile compounding practices and associated recommendations to improve workflows and enhance patient safety.

Register today to discover the future of pharmacy at Omnicell Illuminate 2020 and explore our three-day slate of continuing education, networking, interactive demos, and more learning opportunities. 

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author(s). These views are always subject to change, revision, and rethinking at any time and may not be held in perpetuity.