Design and evaluation of a sterile compounding facility.

The design and evaluation of a sterile compounding center for a large community teaching hospital are described. The new sterile products area was redesigned to improve efficiency by minimizing staff travel and to incorporate recommendations of the ASHP Technical Assistance Bulletin on Quality Assurance for Pharmacy-prepared Sterile Products. The design approach combined strategic planning with master facilities planning. The process began with a systems analysis, followed by the development of a functional program (a comprehensive list of design specifications). Travel studies were performed before and after renovation to determine gains in efficiency; technician travel decreased 29% and pharmacist travel, 42%. The new facility design met the specifications in the functional program and appeared to comply with all recommendations in the ASHP document for all risk levels of preparations.