Drug Shortages Hurting Patient Care

Pharmacists think they lead to errors, delays, longer hospital stays

THURSDAY, Oct. 7, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Continuing drug shortages are having far-reaching, negative impacts on patient care and hospital costs, says a survey conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and pharmacy residents at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The survey of nearly 1,500 pharmacy directors in U.S. health systems found that 95 percent of them believed drug shortages have set up roadblocks to treating patients with the best medications.

Sixty-one percent believed shortages of certain drugs have compromised patient care, including delays or cancellations of certain medical procedures, prolonged hospital stays, and medication errors.

"Patients are at risk when a needed drug is not available or when health-care providers must work with substitute medications," ASHP executive vice president and CEO Henri R. Manasse said in a prepared statement. "This public health issue must be addressed."

Drug shortages have also led to increased health-care costs.

"Drug shortages have been a fact of life in our hospitals and health systems for almost a decade," study co-author David R. Witmer, ASHP's vice president of member services, said in a statement. "Because of shortages, pharmacists must select and purchase substitute products as well as determine proper dosing regimens, modify drug-use policies and procedures, educate various health-care personnel, and restock the supplies through the facility. All of these extra steps increase risk and add unnecessary costs to the health system."

The study appears in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

More information

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has this about improving health-care quality.

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