Abstract
BackgroundPharmaceutical compounding is an essential component in pharmacy practice allowing pharmacists to provide dosage forms or strengths that are commercially unavailable. Medications compounded for patient-specific needs contribute to personalized medicine. Extemporaneous compounding provided by pharmacies overcomes the market shortage of these therapeutic products. The aim of this study is to investigate and characterize the prevalence, characteristics, and determinants of extemporaneous compounding in Jordanian pharmacies.MethodsThis study was based on a cross-sectional questionnaire and included 431 randomly selected pharmacies in the twelve governorates of the country. Data were collected via face to face interviews of pharmacists who voluntarily and verbally responded to the questions.ResultsResults revealed that 223 (51.7%) of the surveyed pharmacies practiced extemporaneous compounding. The main reason for not providing extemporaneous compounding services was lack of prescription orders for compounded preparations (53.8%). The second reason was lack of the equipment and supplies necessary for compounding (24.4%). Extemporaneous compounding prescriptions were mainly issued by dermatologists (98.2%); dermatological indication was the most common of all extemporaneous compounded prescriptions. The main reason for requesting compounded medications was the lack of a commercially available product (87.9%). The vast majority of the compounded dosage forms were creams (99.6) and ointments (91.5), followed by solutions (23.3%). Only 5 (2.2%) of the studied compounding pharmacies prepared sterile products. The major sources for compounding protocols were the physician order (94.2%), and ‘in-house’ protocols (44.8%). However, the main resource for estimating compounded medications expiration date was information based on pharmacist’s experience (57.8%) and the physician’s order (53.4%).ConclusionsExtemporaneous compounding is a common element of pharmaceutical care. Topical preparations are the most commonly compounded products. Finding from this study suggest that there is a need for standardizing the compounded product formularies, product quality testing, and improving the consistency in estimation of an expiration date of compounded products.
Highlights
Pharmaceutical compounding is an essential component in pharmacy practice allowing pharmacists to provide dosage forms or strengths that are commercially unavailable
Extemporaneous compounding was traditionally used to fill most of the prescription orders submitted to pharmacists until the advent of pharmaceutical industry in the second half of the nineteenth century [2]
In the United States, the process of extemporaneous compounding of sterile and nonsterile preparations in pharmacies, which are under the authority of the state boards of pharmacy, has been regulated, to varying extents, by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) chapters Pharmaceutical Compounding – Nonsterile Preparations and Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations [14]
Summary
Pharmaceutical compounding is an essential component in pharmacy practice allowing pharmacists to provide dosage forms or strengths that are commercially unavailable. The aim of this study is to investigate and characterize the prevalence, characteristics, and determinants of extemporaneous compounding in Jordanian pharmacies. Extemporaneous compounding refers to the practice of the preparation of a therapeutic product by mixing and combining pharmaceuticals agents for an individual patient in response to an identified need [1]. The findings from this study will improve the understanding of current extemporaneous compounding practices and provide information to guide efforts on developing the regulatory framework, educational curricula, and professional training needed to ensure safety and quality of compounded products and pharmaceutical care of patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
