Standardization commonly underpins process improvement initiatives in today’s clinical pharmacies, and rightly so. The benefits of standardization can be significant, perhaps no more so than in the compounding of sterile IV preparations. While a mature, standardized process for supplies ordering and inventory management may reduce waste and costs, standardized processes applied to the production of CSPs can save lives. Nevertheless, skilled technicians remain vital to pharmacy operations, and staff turnover can pose a serious challenge to sensitive workflows. In this month’s article, The Selection Process for IV Workflow Technology on page 4, the authors examine the various IV workflow management systems available to support standardization efforts. The benefits intrinsic to IV workflow systems include:

• Process standardization
• Automated ingredient validation
• Pharmacist convenience via remote verification
• Greater peace of mind for pharmacy and facility management

Further, pharmacy management is gaining a better understanding that technology acquisition has a noted impact on staff satisfaction rates. With the technician turnover rate often as high as 30%, it is incumbent upon pharmacy directors to create an environment where technicians feel valued for their important contributions.

Consider what an automated, standardized IV compounding system can offer your compounding technicians. Such technology investments enable increased confidence in the accuracy of daily processes, free up time spent waiting for product approvals, mitigate rote tasks (such as checking source ingredients via automated bar code scanning), and many others.

There is a natural impulse to start a new year on a positive note and there are few patient safety initiatives in the pharmacy more important than those related to CSP preparation and administration. We hope you will continue to look to Pharmacy Purchasing & Products for answers to your questions about these important activities.

All the best,
R. Mitchell Halvorsen
Publisher