11.1.1. Centralized vs Decentralized Drug Drawing

In HQ, most clinics use a Centralized drug draw. This means one person (or a small team) is responsible for pulling up the drugs.

• Typically, one or two people draw up the induction drugs for the entire clinic.
• This could be a veterinarian or an LVT under the supervision of a veterinarian.
• Note: This does not refer to pre-med drugs, which are given at the time of exam. It specifically refers to induction drugs listed in Patient Flow under the Drug Draw screen.

Decentralized Drug Draw

The opposite method is a Decentralized drug draw.

• Here, smaller teams each manage their own set of drugs.
• Each team maintains its own drug log for the patients they serve.
• Instead of one central supply, multiple baskets of drugs are pulled out—one per team.
• This method is rare, but it is used by the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance, where four surgical teams handle about 100 pets per day. Each team manages its own drug log.

Which Method Should You Use?

It depends on when and how your induction drugs are drawn up:

• If one person draws up induction drugs and distributes them to multiple teams → this is still Centralized.
• If multiple teams are fully responsible for drawing up and logging their own induction drugs → this is Decentralized.