Prevalence, determinants, and characteristics of extemporaneous compounding in Lebanese Pharmacies

Extemporaneous compounding is a fundamental process conducted in pharmacies to provide medications forms or doses unavailable commercially. The aim of the current study is to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and determinants of extemporaneous compounding in Lebanon. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted on both community and hospital pharmacists in Lebanon. The study revealed that only 17.55% of the community pharmacies (out of 2,262) and 54.29% of hospital pharmacies (out of 140) practice extemporaneous compounding. The main reason for practicing compounding was the unavailability of medications, whereas the main reason that acted as a barrier was the absence of compounding prescription and the absence of regulations. The major protocols’ source used was the physicians’ orders. The most resource used for estimating the beyond-used date was the pharmacists’ experience. The results showed the need for standardized compounded medications formularies and evidence-based standards to estimate the beyond-use date of compounded product.