THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF 2 INTRAVENOUS ADDITIVE SYSTEMS

The current health-care economic environment with increasing managed c are and prospective payment systems presents nurse administrators with the ongoing dilemma of providing optimal patient care while reducing or holding down the costs of that care. Evaluation of systems and proc esses used in the provision of care is key to containing expenditures. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of two intravenous (IV) a dditive systems, comparing the material, wastage, and labor costs and analyzing the effects of each system on nursing productivity. Results indicate that the higher material costs experienced with the implement ation of the ADD-Vantage(R) additive system (Abbott Laboratories, Nort h Chicago, IL) are completely offset by the reduced labor expense. The introduction of a more efficient system also has a positive impact on nursing productivity demonstrated by the staff's use of their saved t ime in higher-level nursing functions. Copyright (C) 1994 by W. B. Sau nders Company