ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE DETECTION OF MEDICATION ERRORS IN ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH AFEBRILE NEUTROPENIA IN A CANCER HOSPITAL
Author(s)
Hernández Martínez JF1, Morales Perez M1, Colín Gómez DP1, Paredes García P1, Toledo Vigueras I1, Gutierrez García M2, Toledo Vigueras E1, Patricio Irineo F1, Sánchez Ródriguez I1
1Centro Oncológico Estatal, ISSEMyM, Toluca, Mexico, 2HS Estudios Farmacoeconómicos S.A. de C.V, Mexico City, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To determine the avoided cost derived from the opportune intervention of the pharmacist before to the administration of schemes of chemotherapy avoiding medication errors (EM). METHODS: A transverse analysis of EM's record was realized (classification in accordance with Otero et al., 2000) in solid tumors, that evaluate the Clinical Pharmacy Service (CPS), in a period from November 2014 to April 2015. The intention was to identify the cases of afebrile neutropenia (AN) before the application of the scheme of chemotherapy. The cost that had been generated by the handling of an uncomplicated febrile neutropenia were estimated, in accordance with the international recommendations of clinical practice, direct medical costs were considered: medicines (institutional catalog of prices), medical consultation, laboratory study and hospitalization from Official Federation Journal and groups related to the diagnosis IMSS 2015. RESULTS: It was identified a whole of 365 (30 %) EM of 1195 pharmacotherapy follow-up, We found 22 patients who had AN, with an age average of 52 years, of which 54 % were women, this means 8% of total medication errors; 100 % of these errors of this patients group was a category "B" the error did not get the patient. The saving by the pharmaceutical interventions was estimated in $80,228(USD), minus the cost of the prophylactic treatment after intervention ($13,624). The whole saving was $66,604, so that monthly average cost saved by CPS was of $11,101; there are 6 clinical pharmacists, that individually saved $1,850 monthly. The patients were rescheduled for their application of chemotherapy until cure the neutropenia, a prophylaxis was given for the subsequent cycles. CONCLUSIONS: The opportune intervention of the pharmacist in the identification and resolution of medication errors not only represents a clinical benefit in the safety of the patient, also is a monetary saving to the institution.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2015-11, ISPOR Europe 2015, Milan, Italy
Value in Health, Vol. 18, No. 7 (November 2015)
Code
PCN71
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Budget Impact Analysis
Disease
Oncology