Introduction to hospital compounding.

The practice of compounding in both the community and hospital pharmacy settings has undergone constant change since the 1980s. Although standards and guidelines have been established, additional standards and guidelines are being developed to ensure that compounded preparations are of high quality. Although hospital compounding and community compounding have some differences in their pracitce, both must comply with the standards for drug preparations set forth by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention. The strict standards published in 2003 by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention in the area of sterile compounding have become a major concern for hospital pharmacies, which have been given an extended compliance date of January 1, 2008, by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Because of the high standards for the practice of compounding and the new, complex dosage forms that are being prescribed to meet patients' individual needs, pharmacists and technicians involved in compounding need to have additional training to learn these new compounding skills and quality assurance techniques.