Intravenous Anaesthetic Drug Wastage and Its Financial Burden on A Tertiary Care Hospital in Sri Lanka

With recent advancements in anaesthetic management where newer drugs and innovative treatment modalities are being introduced, the healthcare cost has increased and it is prudent to reduce the healthcare expenditure in a developing country such as Sri Lanka without compromising on patient care. Reducing drug wastage, can reduce the impact on hospitals pharmaceutical budget. The present study was conducted to assess the wastage of intravenous anaesthetic drugs and to assess its economic impact at a tertiary hospital in Sri Lanka. Following ethical clearance and institutional approval, a prospective study was conducted at all operations rooms at a tertiary care hospital for four consecutive weeks. Intravenous anaesthetic drugs left in syringes, vials and opened ampules not used were documented at the end of each day. The total and daily cost of drug wastage was calculated using the unit price list issued by the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. The largest volume of drug wastage was from Propofol 1489.28 mg. per day followed by Ephedrine (145.35 mg per day). The total financial loss during the study period was Rupees. 164477.95, and the average daily loss was Rupees. 5874.21. The maximum daily cost of drug wastage was due to Metaraminol (Rupees. 3537.9) followed by Propofol (Rupees. 616.35). The financial impact form anaesthetic drug wastage was considerable with Metaraminol and Propofol being the main contributors. Educating the staff on drug costs, employing practical methods to reduce wastage and frequent audits can be used as a wastage cost reduction strategy.