Utilizing IV Robotics in Hospital Pharmacy

Dennis Killian, PharmD, PhD, Director of Pharmacy Services, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, MD, discusses how the hospital utilizes IV robotics. This video was filmed at the 2019 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meeting in Boston.

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Dennis Killian, PharmD, PhD: When we implemented IV Robotics at Peninsula, one of the first decision points was to decide the product mix for the device. When I say that, I mean ‘do we want to have certain syringes, like ready-to-administer (RTA) syringes, or IV bags?’ So, we did a comprehensive return on investment analysis, an ROI, to determine the best kind of products to use with this technology.

For us, 1 of the first things that we went after was RTA syringes, specifically those that are used by our anesthesia department. These would be neuromuscular blockers and some other agents that they commonly use in the operating room (OR). Prior to using the technology, we outsourced these products through a 503B pharmacy company. And we found it best that we wanted to insource those with the IV robotics. That’s the first product mix that we implemented with the IV robotics.

Next, we tackled a few different medications that were available in a bag. We included vancomycin, because its available in a wide variety of different strengths, and also heparin, which is a high alert medicine. We wanted to use the technology to prepare those bags.

But, really, it’s up to you, based on your product portfolio and the products you currently outsource to 503Bs. So the process is very customizable, and can be tailored to meet your individual needs at your hospital.