Impact of Sterile Compounding Batch Frequency on Pharmaceutical Waste

Purpose To measure the impact of increasing sterile compounding batch frequency on pharmaceutical waste as it relates to cost and quantity. Methods Pharmaceutical IV waste at a tertiary care hospital was observed and recorded for 7 days. The batching frequency of compounded sterile products (CSPs) was then increased from twice daily to 4 times daily. After a washout period, pharmaceutical IV waste was then recorded for another 7 days. The quantity of units wasted and the cost were compared between both phases to determine the impact that batching frequency has on IV waste, specifically among high- and low-cost drugs. Results Patient days increased from 2,459 during phase 1 to 2,617 during phase 2. The total number of CSPs wasted decreased from 3.6 to 2.7 doses per 100 patient days. Overall cost was reduced from $4,585.36 in phase 1 to $4,453.88 in phase 2. The value of wasted high-cost drugs per 100 patient days increased from $146 in phase 1 to $149 in phase 2 (p > .05). The value of wasted low cost drugs per 100 patient days decreased from $41 in phase 1 to $21 in phase 2 (p < .05). Conclusion: Lean batch IV methodology reduced overall waste quantity and cost. The highest impact of the intervention was observed among low-cost CSPs.