This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Michael R. Alexander, MSc; Bruce Alexander, PharmD; Alan L. Mustion, BSc; Reynold Spector, MD; Creighton B. Wright, MD

JAMA. 1982;247(6):831-833.

Abstract
It has previously been shown that albumin costs in a Veterans Administration Hospital constituted a large portion of the pharmacy drug budget and that much albumin was prescribed inappropriately. Therefore, a program of education and use monitoring was instituted to improve understanding and prescribing of this product. Inappropriate use declined from 41% to 26% of total albumin units and, more dramatically, total cost of albumin used had decreased by 90% one year after this program was initiated. Projected yearly savings from decreased use was more than $85,000. These results demonstrate that such a program can promote more appropriate use of albumin and effect a cost savings for hospitals.

(JAMA 1982;247:831-833)

Author Affiliations
From the Pharmacy (Dr Alexander and Messrs Alexander and Mustion), Medical (Dr Spector), and Surgical (Dr Wright) Services, Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Colleges of Pharmacy (Dr Alexander and Messrs Alexander and Mustion) and Medicine (Drs Spector and Wright), University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Pharmacy Service (119), Veterans Administration Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52240 (Mr Alexander).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The Use of Albumin in Clinical Practice
Erstad et al.
Arch Intern Med 1991;151:901-911.
ABSTRACT