1306
STANDARDIZATION OF INTRAVENOUS DRUG CONCENTRATIONS
Source: Council on Pharmacy Practice
To develop nationally standardized drug concentrations and dosing units for commonly used high-risk drugs that are given as continuous infusions to adult and pediatric patients; further,
To encourage all hospitals and health systems to use infusion devices that interface with their information systems and include standardized drug libraries with dosing limits, clinical advisories, and other patient-safety-enhancing capabilities; further,
To encourage interprofessional collaboration on the adoption and implementation of standardized drug concentrations and dosing units in hospitals and health systems.
This policy supersedes ASHP policy 0807.
Rationale
Standardization and simplification are widely accepted methods for reducing variability in processes and risk for error. With increased adoption of intelligent infusion devices, use of standard concentrations has enhanced infusion safety by eliminating most dosing and rate calculations. Standardizing concentrations also simplifies ordering and preparation, and reduces risk of administration error. Attendees at ASHP’s 2008 IV Safety Summit affirmed this safety strategy with a similar recommendation. Summit participants also suggested that broader use of standard concentrations might stimulate industry to offer a broader array of ready-toadminister infusions and facilitate the development of drug libraries.
Recent reports indicate, however, that numerous concentrations of high-risk and other drugs are still routinely used. While acknowledging that not all patients can or should be treated with a standard concentration, the Council, Board, and House clarified that the intent of this policy was to advocate limiting the number of standard concentrations to those that serve the needs of the majority of patients.
Council members further suggested that broad adoption of standardized concentrations would not be achieved without the support of the health-system pharmacist community and its active engagement with interprofessional stakeholders, and the Board and House agreed.