Mississippi Pharmacists\u27 Knowledge and Attitudes about Pharmacy Compounding Safety and Regulation

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacy compounding, which is defined by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a practice in which a licensed pharmacist combines, mixes, or alters ingredients in response to a prescription to create a medication tailored to the medical needs of an individual patient,1 has gained recent attention at both national and state levels. Outbreaks of adverse events associated with pharmacy compounding have led to many proposed and enacted changes in how to appropriately and best regulate traditional compounding pharmacies and those that act as manufacturers. Given such recent controversies and potential confusion as to exactly how compounding is regulated, the purpose of this study is to measure pharmacists\u27 knowledge and attitudes regarding the regulation of pharmaceutical compounding. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used by surveying 2,499 Mississippi-licensed pharmacists via email and Qualtrics Survey Software. Results: 199 useable responses were gathered from practicing Mississippi pharmacists. Respondents\u27 appeared somewhat knowledgeable about compounding regulation and were generally positive about the practice of compounding. Significant differences in knowledge found at the .05 level of significance based on place of employment and number of compounds prepared. Significant differences in attitude were found at the 0.05 level of significance based on number of compounds prepared. Discussion: Respondents\u27 appeared somewhat knowledgeable about compounding regulation and were generally positive about the practice of compounding. The results of this study were not surprising, and suggest that a pharmacist\u27s practice location and number of compounds made in their facility can be related to their knowledge of compounding, and that the number of compounds their facility makes can be related to their attitude

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