Green hospital pharmacy: A sustainable approach to the medication use process in a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND

Sustainable management of healthcare waste has a positive impact on the global environment. In order to reduce it, the sustainable practice of the pharmacotherapeutic process in all its stages is essential.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the sustainability strategies proposed by the pharmacy service to reduce drug waste derived from the pharmacotherapeutic process.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

To analyse the stage of the pharmacotherapeutic process and the number and type of drugs involved.

METHODS

The study was carried out in a tertiary-level hospital. To coordinate the proposals, a referent pharmacist from every pharmacy department area was selected. Four stages of the process were evaluated (management, validation, dispensing and compounding), patients concerned were classified as outpatients or inpatients, and drugs potentially involved were analysed by the administration route: Into oral or parenteral.

RESULTS

Twenty eight ideas were proposed, which could affect more than 1200 drugs. 39.3% would affect the validation process, 17.9% the procurement management, 17.9% dispensing, and 7.1% the compounding. Implementation feasibility and acceptability of these proposals were evaluated. Those with the greatest potential were: Limiting the duration of treatments when possible, favouring the implementation of computer prescription order entry, favouring the use of the oral route over the parenteral route, and implementing computers in the preparation areas to avoid the use of paper guides.

DISCUSION

In our study, many ideas have been proposed by hospital pharmacists to improve the sustainability of the medication use process. When assessing these proposals by impact and feasibility, according to our results, shorten as much as possible the duration of treatments, computerization of the medication use process, and oral administration over intravenous should be prioritized in order to reduce environmental impact.

Green hospital pharmacy: A sustainable approach to the medication use process in a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND

Sustainable management of healthcare waste has a positive impact on the global environment. In order to reduce it, the sustainable practice of the pharmacotherapeutic process in all its stages is essential.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the sustainability strategies proposed by the pharmacy service to reduce drug waste derived from the pharmacotherapeutic process.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

to analyze the stage of the pharmacotherapeutic process and the number and type of drugs involved.

METHODS

The study was carried out in a tertiary level hospital. To coordinate the proposals, a referent pharmacist from every pharmacy department area was selected. Four stages of the process were evaluated (procurement, validation, dispensing and compounding), patients concerned were classified as outpatients or inpatients, and drugs potentially involved were analyzed by the administration route: into oral or parenteral.

RESULTS

28 ideas were proposed, which could affect more than 1200 drugs. 39.3% would affect the validation process, 17.9% the procurement management, 17.9% dispensing and 7.1% the compounding. Implementation feasibility and acceptability of these proposals were evaluated. Those with the greatest potential were: limiting the duration of treatments when possible, favoring the implementation of computer prescription order entry, favoring the use of the oral route over the parenteral route, and implementing computers in the preparation areas to avoid the use of paper guides.

DISCUSSION

In our study, many ideas have been proposed by hospital pharmacists to improve the sustainability of the medication use process. When assessing these proposals by impact and feasibility, according to our results, shorten as much as possible the duration of treatments, computerization of the medication use process and oral administration over intravenous should be prioritized in order to reduce environmental impact.