Profile of Centralization Practices for Preparation of Non-Hazardous Drugs in Quebec Hospitals

Abstract Background The preparation of many drugs intended for parenteral administration is centralized in the pharmacy of healthcare institutions. However, no data are available describing the range of drugs with centralized preparation. The objective was to establish a profile of centralization practices for the preparation of non-hazardous drug doses in the pharmacy departments of Quebec healthcare institutions. Methods For this cross-sectional descriptive study, an e-mail survey was distributed in March 2017 to the directors of the pharmacy departments of Quebec healthcare institutions. Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of parenteral drug doses that were prepared centrally in the pharmacy, the name of each drug prepared this way, the criteria used to select drugs for central preparation, and the barriers to centralizing preparation of drug doses. Only descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Results Of the 30 directors of pharmacy departments invited to participate, 27 (90 %) responded, representing a total of 40 Quebec healthcare facilities. Overall, 232 individual drugs were centrally prepared in one or more of these facilities, for an overall median of 22 drugs per facility (min: 1, max: 101). Conclusions This is the first survey in Quebec and indeed all of Canada to identify the many medications that are centrally prepared in hospital pharmacies. The survey showed that the selection of drugs for central preparation differed widely across facilities. It would be desirable for pharmacy departments in this province to collaborate on standardizing practices for central preparations.