Applying Stability Data in Patient Care

Alternate site pharmacists must use extended stability data to assign beyond –use dating to facilitate the cost-effective dispensing and delivery of compounded sterile preparations for multiple days of therapy. Pharmacists, regardless of practice setting, should always assign beyond-use dates that accurately represent the stability of the medication, combination of medications, or other component ingredients under the intended preparation, shipping, storage, and administration conditions. To do this, the pharmacist must be familiar with the chemical and physical factors that affect the sterility, integrity, and stability of the final preparation. Additionally, environmental, operational, and personnel factors that contribute to the Quality of a compound cannot be discounted. In light of very visible examples and tragic patient outcomes from contaminated preparations, pharmacists and technicians must diligently ensure that their facility produces contamination-free preparations, which can then be assigned reasonable extended stability dates that are valid for their organization. Nurses and other professionals. Health care professionals who administer parenteral medications must understand the application of beyond-use dating and the physical/chemical characteristics of compounded sterile preparations in the patient care and patient education process. - See more at: http://ebooks.ashp.org/product/applying-stability-data-in-patient-care#sthash.2jFCJD4Y.dpuf