What Happens Now? A Review of USP <797> Revisions

Every part of the sterile compounding process should be driven by one, critical element: patient safety. The key to achieving this is maintaining excellent aseptic technique, which is defined as a series of methods used to ensure compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) are free from microorganisms, pyrogens, and particulate matter. Preparing CSPs involves numerous factors, each of which has the potential to impact the sterility of these products. These include the environment in which the product is compounded, the equipment utilized to compound the product, and the individual who compounds the CSP. Should a CSP become contaminated and then administered to a patient, major harm and possible death could result. Thus, each factor must be optimized to ensure the safety of the final preparation. This course will provide a review of garbing and hand washing procedures and detail proper aseptic manipulations for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who compound CSPs. USP Chapter <797> guidelines will be referenced.