An automated dispensing cabinet alert influences anesthesia provider medication preparation in a remifentanil waste reduction initiative.

Study Objective: To decrease the occurrence of remifentanil waste of 1 mg or more (1 full vial) by 25 % in our surgical division while maintaining satisfaction of 60 % of providers by using a remifentanil mixing workflow.

Design: A time series-design quality improvement initiative targeted preventable remifentanil waste. A period of active interventions, followed by a pause and reinstatement of a system intervention, was used to validate its effectiveness.