Pharmacy (Oct 2024)

Evaluating the Efficiency and Staff Satisfaction of the Point-of-Care IV Activated System Versus Traditional Piggyback in Administering IV Antibiotics at a Saudi Tertiary Hospital

  • Khaled Elshammaa,
  • Abubakr A. Yousif,
  • Abdullah Alshammari,
  • Mohammed Alnuhait,
  • Abdulmalik S. Alotaibi,
  • Mahmoud E. Elrggal,
  • Mohamed Hassan Elnaem

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy12050158
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 5
p. 158

Abstract

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Background: This study aims to compare resource utilization and staff satisfaction between the point-of-care (POC) activated system and the traditional intravenous piggyback (PB) system in hospital pharmacy settings. Methods: Employing a pre-post quasi-experimental design from November 2019 to April 2020, the study assessed resource requirements for both the POC activated system and the traditional PB system. Additionally, a staff satisfaction survey was conducted, focusing on staff experiences related to the pharmacy preparation process and the subsequent activation of the system by nurses. Results: The POC activated system required significantly fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs) per month compared to the PB system (0.36 ± 0.05 vs. 1.56 ± 0.07; p p < 0.0001). The staff satisfaction survey revealed greater satisfaction with the POC activated system. A subsequent analysis showed the POC activated system had a low expiration rate of 0.1% and a cost of 39 Saudi riyal, while the traditional system had higher expiration rates and cost of 46,260 SR. Conclusions: The POC activated system reduced FTEs, decreased returned medications, and enhanced staff satisfaction compared to the PB system.

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