"Buying prefilled syringes is safer than drawing up medication in
vials." Just 11.94% disagreed.
Respondents said it was critically important to use a compounder
when drugs are in short supply (52.08%) or if there were cost savings
involved (30.61%). Just 16.33% cited time savings and 22% listed con-
venience as critically important reasons for buying prefilled syringes.
Justifying the move
One of the biggest obstacles to using prefilled syringes is cost. You're
virtually guaranteed to pay more when you buy medications in pre-
mixed, prelabeled syringes as opposed to traditional vials. But not all
administrators see cost as prohibitive — especially when you add other
factors into the equation.
"Generally, the [vials] are close to the cost of the compounded
drugs. Add the safety into the equation, and the expense is justified,"
says Donna Cairone, MHSA, BSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA, director of nurs-
ing at the Eye Surgery Center of Chester County in Exton, Pa.
The Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center in Aiken, S.C., only uses
compounded products on the most difficult cases. "If the cataract is
diagnosed as 3+ NS or greater, or there is an underlying condition or
cause for concern as to successful extraction, the physician will
request the compounded product for use in the procedure," says
Christy K. Hutto, BSN, director of nursing.
Several respondents cited drug shortages as the reason they turn to
prefilled syringes. "We only buy medications that are unavailable,"
says one. A director of anesthesia for a Nebraska-based hospital adds,
"If we cannot get it any other way or it's more cost-effective for pre-
filled, then we use it." Perhaps Baylor Scott & White's Ms. Schilthuis
puts it best: "We need the drugs, or we can't do the cases."
In the end, respondents see an array of benefits ranging from
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