Vol. 4, Issue 11, Part A (2018)

Methods: This was a prospective study and was conducted to ascertain the quantity of drug wastage at a tertiary care inpatient facility of a hospital in the month of August 2016. The prescription of the drugs, the recommended dose, the quantity used and remainder (waste) left were noted. The cost for the actual use and the waste was performed to understand in which drug the maximum wastage generated and the financial loss.

Results: The results of this study indicated that during the study period wastage of drugs was seen in for 24 of the 51 (47.05%) drugs used and that the wastage proportion of drugs varied from 0.39% to 64.29%. Paracetamol was the most wasted drug (42.95%) and amounted for 28.84% of the total wastage cost.

Conclusion: The results indicate that the quantity and the financial impact of drug wastage were substantial and that efforts should be at minimizing expenditure. This is very important in developing countries like India, where every molecule of drug is precious.