Determining Consensus Priorities for Compounding Skills in Pharmacy Education Using a Modified Delphi Method

To identify and prioritize sterile and nonsterile compounding skills essential for inclusion in pharmacy curricula through expert consensus and validation surveys.

A 2-round modified Delphi process was conducted with panels of pharmacists selected based on their extensive sterile or nonsterile compounding expertise. Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions to elicit key skills and knowledge areas, which were thematically analyzed to inform Round 2. In Round 2, experts rated the importance of identified skills on a 5-point Likert scale. Findings were validated through follow-up cross-sectional surveys distributed to members of the American College of Apothecaries (ACA), who ranked skills from most to least important. Descriptive analyses were performed for all survey data.

Twenty-five sterile and 25 nonsterile experts were invited; 4 experts in each group completed Round 1, and 3 sterile and 2 nonsterile experts completed Round 2. Seventeen members of the ACA completed the validation survey. Sterile compounding experts prioritized aseptic technique, hand hygiene, and garbing as essential skills, whereas nonsterile compounding experts emphasized pharmaceutical calculations, accurate measurement, and preparation of suspensions, solutions, and capsules. Both groups highlighted the importance of regulatory knowledge (United States Pharmacopeia [USP] <795>, <797>, and <800>), beyond-use dating, and pharmacists' supervisory roles over technicians.

This study established a preliminary consensus of sterile and nonsterile compounding skills needed by pharmacy graduates. Prioritizing aseptic technique, commonly compounded nonsterile dosage form preparation, pharmaceutical calculations, and regulatory competencies, along with repeated practice and supervisory simulation, may better prepare graduates to meet contemporary practice and regulatory demands.