Challenges in pharmacy compounding

Pharmaceutical compounding in hospital pharmacies requires precision and efficiency. The pharmacist is responsible for the safe preparation of medications. The final preparation must have the right dosage, the right quantity, the right dilution, the right container, and the right label. This requires accuracy in all process steps – from ordering, quality control of incoming goods, preparation, validation, labeling, to documentation and many more.

Different types of medications are necessary for different therapies and are often patient-specific. In addition to mixing medications, the preparation of (total) parenteral nutrition solutions is a frequent procedure performed by hospital pharmacists. The compounding process can either be manual or automated.