Bugs, Drugs & Disinfectants in Your Compounding Pharmacy

Session Description: Compounding pharmacies within healthcare facilities often operate with more autonomy regarding the infection control team than departments involved with direct patient contact. However, during audits or investigations, infection control practitioners can be queried about the hygiene practices in the pharmacy. What makes a pharmacy cleanroom suite so unique? Attendees already understand that operating, procedure, and patient rooms require a high level of hygiene to reduce the risk of surgical-site and other healthcare-associated infections. However, pharmacy cleanrooms must be cleaned and disinfected to even higher governmental standards based on guidelines from associations such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). For example, the hygiene of cleanrooms is monitored not only for airborne and surface-associated microorganisms, but also for particles like fibers, lint, and dust. Other critical differences between maintaining the hygiene of pharmacies versus other healthcare environments include the types of disinfectants, the tools used to clean and disinfect surfaces, and the type of apparel or personal protective equipment. This presentation will compare the unique products and practices used to reduce the risk of infections in pharmacies versus other parts of a hospital.