Safety and cost-effectiveness of paclitaxel administered as a 1-hour infusion versus a 3-hour infusion for various malignancies.
This study challenges the current practice of administering paclitaxel for a variety of malignancies over 3 hours and documents the safety and cost-effectiveness of 1-hour administration in the outpatient setting. The authors investigated opportunities to save nursing time and costs in a cancer clinic without compromising patient safety. These savings are referred to as "opportunity-cost savings" that enable the clinic to schedule more patients during the time normally required to administer a 3-hour paclitaxel dose. Over a 2-year period, the authors were able to document significant time savings with no increase in adverse drug reactions.
Gammon
David C
DC
Department of Pharmacy, University Campus., UMass Memorial Medical Center, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. gammond@ummhc.org
Lizotte
Margaret W
MW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics; D012449:Safety; D013997:Time Factors
D017239:Paclitaxel