Evaluation of the most frequently prescribed extemporaneously compounded medications in a rural setting: a case study from the Delmarva Peninsula.

Extemporaneous drug formulation is essential to provide optimal pharmaceutical care to infants, children, and other special patient populations when medications are not available in a suitable dosage form. This study examined the prescription patterns of extemporaneously compounded preparations from representative sites on the Delmarva Peninsula. Professional pharmacy students assigned to community pharmacy and hospital clinical sites were asked to collect the following data at their respective rotation sites: a list of the most commonly prescribed extemporaneously compounded products to include: drug indication, generic name, dosage form, stability dating, dose regimen, route of administration, and age group.