Reducing drug waste in hospitals

What you need to knowDrug waste is an important source of financial and environmental waste within healthcare systemsAudit and analysis of drug inventory management, hospital policies on medicines, and prescribing and utilisation in clinical practice offer opportunities to reduce medicines wasteEngaging in multidisciplinary collaborations and partnering with patients are useful strategies for promoting sustainable medicines useAny medication which expires or remains unused throughout the whole medicines supply chain is drug waste.1 This waste is associated with unnecessary healthcare spending and environmental harms. In hospitals, it is commonly attributable to suboptimal management of drug inventory and its interplay with drug utilisation. Health professionals can mitigate this waste using a variety of strategies.Why change is neededPharmaceutical manufacturing, packaging, and distribution are carbon intensive processes, accounting for an estimated 12% of healthcare’s global carbon footprint.23 Despite the costs of production and procurement in terms of carbon emissions, considerable financial burden on health systems,…
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