Effectiveness of the Chemotherapy Drug Preparation Robot Accuracy and Precision and Working Time for Injectable Anticancer Drugs in Udon Thani Cancer Hospital Patients

Abstract

Background: The demand for chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer is on the rise, placing a significant burden on medical personnel responsible for drug preparation and mixing. Udon Thani Cancer Hospital has initiated the use of chemotherapy-compounding robots to replace the work of staff in chemotherapy preparation rooms, as well as to be safer for operators. Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficiency of the chemotherapy drug preparation robot for injectable anticancer drugs regarding the accuracy and time used for drug preparation. Method: A retrospective study of parallel data collection and ordered dose of chemotherapy through the robot was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the required chemotherapy dose by weighing the vial before and after aspiration. Then, an analysis of the difference between the amount of drug required and the amount of drug was done and reported as a percentage. Additionally, drug preparation time, from the robot’s initiation of checking drug size and type to the completion of mixing, was recorded. Result: From collected 1,221 drug preparations from 1 March 2022 to 30 September 2022, the median percentage error of drug preparation was 0.0 (min = -2.69, max = 4.06). The total preparation time, counted from checking the dosage and type of drugs ordered until mixing completion, was 15.16.9 minutes. The result was independent of the required drug volume, and the size of the syringe used. Furthermore, the result had no difference from when the drug was mixed by a medical professional. Conclusion: The chemotherapy-compounding robot can be used accurately and timely. It can replace operations by personnel to reduce exposure to chemotherapy drugs.