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THE OCCURRENCE OF SHORTAGES AMONG COMMONLY USED MEDICATIONS AT COPENHAGEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, AMAGER AND HVIDOVRE (AHH)

European Statement

Clinical Pharmacy Services

Author(s)

Ina Vierø Rinder, IVR

Why was it done?

Handling medication shortages in the hospital pharmacy are time-consuming, and a lot of resources are used to find alternatives. Though shortages are a national focus in Denmark, shortages are not a priority focus in the local hospital pharmacy. Shortages are often handled “on-the-go” locally and therefore not prioritized. The hospital pharmacy uses “Medication News”, posted on internal website, to broadcast information about long-term shortages to the hospitals. The aim was to determine the occurrence of shortages among commonly used medications at Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager and Hvidovre (AHH).

What was done?

A top 100-list of most bought packages of individual chemical substances (ATC5-level) was generated. The purchase data were obtained from the hospital pharmacy at AHH for the period from October 2023 to September 2024.

How was it done?

The list was analyzed to determine how many medications had experienced shortage during the specified period. The analysis was conducted by reviewing past “Medication News”, historical e-mails regarding shortages, and the hospital pharmacy’s own record of shortages.

What has been achieved?

The top 100-list of most bought packages of individual chemical substances (ATC5-level) revealed a total of 1149 item numbers. The 500 item numbers in ATC-level V07AZ** (Chemicals and reagents for analysis) were excluded due to their use. Of the remaining 649 item numbers, 43 item numbers had experienced shortage during the specified period. Of the 43 item number shortages, 22 (51 %) had resulted in a “Medication News” on the internal website. The shortages were distributed in the ATC-levels A (16 %), B (9 %), C (5 %), D (2 %), H (9 %), J (12 %), L (5 %), M (7 %), N (30 %), R (2 %) and S (2 %).

What next?

The generated data of the top 100-list of used chemical substances has given rise to more attention on shortages in the hospital pharmacy. In the future it is assumed that the number of shortages will rise, and it should be possible to increase the attention of short-term shortages by using the obtained data e.g., integrate the data in a daily status meeting. Thereby the shortages can be handled as a priority and not “on-the-go”.

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