Extemporaneous compounding confidence progression from undergraduate to practice: a pharmacy education perspective

Objective This study examined how undergraduate students, graduate interns and registered pharmacists perceived their competence in extemporaneous compounding. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a self-administered survey and participants ranked how confident they felt about compounding certain products using a Likert's scale and free-text responses. Key findings Pharmacy students perceived to be as confident as the interns and pharmacists in preparing 'simple' products, such as solutions, suspensions, creams and ointments. A lack of frequent practice was related to poor confidence by all three groups. Conclusion Integration of theoretical, legal and ethical and patient counselling aspects in extemporaneous compounding curriculum could enhance learning and outcomes.