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To meet legislative requirements in Australia, the balance of controlled drugs (CDs) must be confirmed after completion of each transaction. This is particularly challenging for liquid CD formulations, and over the years, health organisations have implemented various methods of performing this task, including the use of visual aids or conversion of bulk formulations to individual unit doses. These methods have a number of limitations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of a weight‐based method for confirming oral liquid CD balances packed in multidose containers. This study was conducted in a palliative care ward of a metropolitan hospital over a 41‐day period. Morphine mixture 5 mg/1 mL transactions and balance checks were confirmed using weight calculations of the product bottle. The weights were then converted to volume using a locally developed electronic application, which was recorded in the relevant CD registers. The acceptable tolerance per transaction (±0.1 mL) was determined prior to commencement based on 80 test transactions. Throughout the trial period, 407 transactions were undertaken, among which there were no CD discrepancies. Nine nurses provided feedback via an anonymous online survey after the trial, mostly reporting that the new method was more accurate. However, participants also reported that it took on average 3 min longer to complete each transaction. In conclusion, utilising a weight‐based method of confirming liquid CD balances may present a feasible method of meeting legislative requirements related to the recording and accountability of CDs. This project was exempt due to the local policy requirements that constitute research by the Eastern Health Office of Research and Ethics (Reference no: QA24‐100‐111698). The justification for this ethics exemption was as follows: the study conformed with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ethical considerations in quality assurance and evaluation activities and did not directly affect patient care; written consent was not required from participants per local requirements, however staff were provided verbal and written project information and were informed their participation in the survey was voluntary and anonymous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a 240% increase in the number of compounded sterile preparations between 2012 and 2013, three pharmacy technicians at a metropolitan public hospital suffered hand-related, repetitive strain injuries. This study describes the main safety measures implemented to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries associated with sterile compounding at the study hospital, and reports pharmacy technicians' perceptions of their effectiveness. The implemented risk reduction strategies were categorized into five domains of 1) equipment and consumables, 2) training and assessment, 3) Lean waste reduction, 4) roster and shift limits, and 5) workload allocation score. Pharmacy technicians' feedback was collected through an anonymous survey in 2020, five years after the implementation of all safety measures. Responders rated their perceived effectiveness of each strategy domain using a five-point Likert Scale, ranging from very ineffective to very effective. All pharmacy technicians who had been undertaking aseptic compounding activities for at least one year between 2015 and 2020 were invited to take the survey. The five domains of 1) equipment and consumables, 2) training and assessment, 3) Lean waste reduction, 4) roster and shift limits, and 5) workload allocation score were rated effective or very effective by 86%, 67%, 86%, 57%, and 71% of pharmacy technicians, respectively (n=7). The overall effectiveness of all interventions combined was rated effective or very effective by 72% of the participants. Pharmacy technicians' feedback indicates the majority perceive the implemented strategies effective in reducing the risk of repetitive strain injuries associated with aseptic compounding., (Copyright© by International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, Inc.)