Evaluation of pharmaceutical compounding training in the Australian undergraduate pharmacy curricula

Introduction: In recent decades the role of the Australian community pharmacist has evolved to focus primarily on pharmaceutical care provision. Despite this, compounding remains an important product service offered by pharmacists. The aim of this study was to qualitatively describe the current integration of training in compounding within Bachelor of Pharmacy courses in Australia.

Methods: The Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency website was searched to identify eligible university courses. Subsequently, the educational providers’ homepages were consulted, and Bachelor of Pharmacy handbooks and curricula perused. All relevant information regarding training in compounding was extracted.

Results: In total, 16 Bachelor of Pharmacy courses were identified. All of these contain compounding training in their curricula, including laboratory classes. Most curricula have units specifically dedicated to compounding and drug formulation. Three universities offer a curriculum which is organ-systems based, and include compounding relevant to the individual organ systems.

Discussion and Conclusions: In Australia, the training in compounding is well integrated into pharmacy curriculum and is more emphasised than in many other developed countries. This is congruent with the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s needs-based approach to local pharmacy education. In Australia there is a need for pharmacists to routinely dispense simple compounded products. Further research is required to evaluate Australian pharmacy graduates’ compounding abilities and how best to promote the achievement of the required knowledge and skills to enable simple compounding.