Preparing nonsterile and sterile hazardous compounds in an institutional setting

All healthcare facilites are different, and there are no comprehensive guidelines or United States Pharmacopeial standards that will address all of a facility's needs. All physicians and healthcare professionals at a facility need to work together and rely on credible published guidelines, state and federal regulations, their own professional judgment, experience, and common sense to create their own comprehensive program for handling hazardous drugs and chemicals. Some of the subjects dicussed in this article as they pertain to the preparation of nonsterile and sterile hazardous compounds in an institutional setting are: personnel and training; establishing policies and procedures; environmental issues; decontamination, deactivation, and disinfecting; and containment and disposal.