Evaluation of pharmacy-supplied half and quarter tablets at an academic medical center.

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PURPOSE: Manipulation of tablet medications to produce a customized dose is common practice, and splitting tablets may reduce the acquisition cost of the medication. However, cost savings may be diminished by the cost of the increased labor and repackaging materials needed when splitting tablets. Splitting tablets may also result in safety concerns if the final products are under (eg, reduced benefit) or over (eg, toxicity) the desired dosage. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate and recommend changes for all half- and quarter-tablet medications prepared and distributed from the inpatient pharmacy at University of Utah Health (U of U Health).

SUMMARY: The evaluation included all half- and quarter-tablet medications prepared by pharmacy technicians for administration to patients admitted to U of U Health hospitals. A final list of 173 half- and quarter-tablet dosages was evaluated for opportunities to decrease the total number. On the basis of the developed criteria, 93 half- and quarter-tablet dosages (54%) were recommended to be removed from routine stock in the inpatient pharmacy. Systems remain in place to create customized half and quarter tablets if required for patient care.

CONCLUSION: Reducing the number of medications for which half and quarter tablets are used may allow pharmacy technicians to prioritize other patient care tasks and potentially decrease waste.