Establishing a quality-assurance program for hospital compounding

Quality assurance is an ongoing process whereby procedures are reviewed constantly and changed if necessary to improve the quality of patient care and safety. Since most compounding in hospitals is for off-label uses and is usually considered high risk, high volume, or problem prone, close monitoring and documentation of compounding activities play vital roles in a quality-assurance program. Hospital compounders must be diligent in following all of the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the guidelines of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists to develop and maintain a good quality-assurance program. All compounders should strive to dispense high-quality preparation to provide the best patient care.