Pyxis Proximity Improves Narcotic Waste Compliance Among Anesthesia Personnel

Introduction

Controlled substance waste processes in perioperative areas can be cumbersome. Streamlining this process is a critical component of improving operating room efficiency. At our institution, unused controlled substances require a two-person waste prior to disposal. We hypothesized that access to a centrally located automated medication dispensing system to conduct medication waste would decrease the amount of time required to perform a two-person waste and dispose of unused medications after the completion of a case. We further hypothesized that a decrease in the time required to waste would improve user satisfaction with the waste process.

Methods

This was a single-center, retrospective, IRB-approved quality assurance analysis. Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap, Stony Brook, NY, United States) software was used to design an anonymous survey, which was distributed via email from 06/09/2021 to 09/09/2021. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare before and after paired responses for individuals. Analyses were performed using SAS 9.4 © (Cary, NC, United States) software.

Results

Participants reported a significant decrease in time carrying used narcotics after a surgical case. For the primary outcome, median (IQR) scores demonstrated a significant decrease from 2, representing “10-20 minutes” (IQR 1-3), to 1, indicating “<10 minutes” (IQR 1-2) spent carrying used narcotics (p < 0.0001). Reported satisfaction with the process significantly increased from 2 to 3 points, on a scale of 5, after using the new centrally located Pyxis (p < 0.0001). Participants reported the wasting process as less time-consuming, carried fewer used controlled substances, and were less likely to wait until the end of the shift to waste.

Conclusions

By improving the ergonomics of the waste process after adding a Pyxis system in a more central location, the time anesthesia clinicians spent carrying used controlled substances decreased. Additionally, provider satisfaction increased, likely related to the ease of finding a partner to witness wasted medications.