Abstract
As cost-containment pressures on health care systems continue, traditional practices are searching for ways to deliver care less expensively. Intravenous drug delivery systems have become a targeted area for cost savings in many health care institutions because they are so extensively used. Benchmark systems that have been shown to improve safety, such as unit-dose drug distribution and IV admixture programs, are now being viewed as costly alternatives. Likewise, technologies and innovations that have the potential to improve efficiency and safety are being critically scrutinized. The decision matrix for selection of IV drug delivery systems needs to carefully balance cost, quality, efficiency, and safety—relative to the medication use process as a whole.
This article presents the final statement of the Consensus Development Conference on the Safety of Intravenous Drug Delivery Systems, held on September 27–28, 1999, in Phoenix, AZ. The purpose of the conference was to provide a balanced assessment of available IV drug delivery systems.
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