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Abstract:  The objective of this study was to describe the response by state boards of pharmacy pertaining to personal protective equipment shortages during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. All webpages of state boards of pharmacy were independently reviewed for written guidance pertaining to personal protective equipment conservation strategies in sterile compounding and deviations from United States Pharmacopeia General Chapter <797> standards; each guidance was then reviewed for referenced sources. Of 52 state pharmacy regulatory bodies, 38 (73.08%) provided guidance to modifying personal protective equipment use during sterile compounding activities to mitigate supply shortages. The references for each guidance varied, however, most referenced CriticalPoint, LLC or the United States Pharmacopeia. A few of the guidance documents from boards also permitted other deviations from United States Pharmacopeia Chapter <797> standards. Early in the pandemic, pharmacists within sterile compounding practices had to conserve personal protective equipment while mitigating contamination risk. Pharmacists looked to state boards of pharmacy for guidance. This report shows a high level of state response to the personal protective equipment shortage induced by the pandemic.

Related Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus, personal protective equipment, PPE shortage, state boards of pharmacy, PPE conservation strategies, supply chain disruption, United States Pharmacopeia Chapter <797>, USP, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, regulation, sterile compounding standards, compounded sterile preparations, microbial contamination, beyond use date modification, environmental contaminant testing

Related Categories: ENVIRONMENTAL , STERILE PREPARATIONS, UNITED STATES PHARMACOPEIA CONVENTIONS, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

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