A multidisciplinary approach to hospital-based drug cost containment

Objective: To develop and implement a range of strategies to control rising drug expenditure in a teaching hospital. Method: A multidisciplinary team was established to survey drug use and to identify areas where drug wastage was occcurring. Once target areas were identified, strategies were developed and implemented and drug expenditure monitored prospectively. Results: Communication and education about optimum drug use, efficient drug handling and therapeutic drug substitution were identified as areas for action. Antibiotic prescribing, outpatient prescribing and expenditure on new drugs were identified as target areas for cost savings. Compared to previous years, the rate of increase in drug expenditure on antibiotics was reduced by over ?5000, from a baseline of ?552 278 over the study period compared to an increase of ?65 984 for the previous corresponding period. Conclusion: We believe that despite the short-coming of the study, which adopted an open design without a control group, it demonstrates that effective cost-containment strategies can be implemented by multidisciplinary teams if they are given sufficient support by senior management.