Inpatient Insulin Pen Implementation, Waste, and Potential Cost Savings: A Community Hospital Experience.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Insulin pen injectors ("pens") are intended to facilitate a patient's self-administration of insulin and can be used in hospitalized patients as a learning opportunity. Unnecessary or duplicate dispensation of insulin pens is associated with increased healthcare costs.

Methods

Inpatient dispensation of insulin pens in a 240-bed community hospital between July 2018 and July 2019 was analyzed. We calculated the percentage of insulin pens unnecessarily dispensed for patients who had the same type of insulin pen assigned. The estimated cost of insulin pen waste was calculated. A pharmacist-led task force group implemented hospital-wide awareness and collaborated with hospital leadership to define goals and interventions.

Results

9516 insulin pens were dispensed

SUBMITTER: Najmi U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8258519 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature