Quality-control standard operating procedures-an essential tool for developing quality preparations

Maintaining quality in compounded preparations must be a top priority of top management, and it must involve all pharmacy employees. Pharmacy compounding requires the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures to ensure quality and minimize compounding errors. Standard operating procedures are detailed instructions initiated by the pharmacist-in-charge or the quality control officer for the purpose of assuring the reliable, consistent performance of routine tasks involved in formulation development, purchasing, compounding, testing, maintenance, materials handling, quality assurance, and dispensing. Maintaining written standard operation procedures is an important step in assuring that a phamacy has developed a quality compounding practice that meets and/or exceeds United States Pharmacopeial standards.