This knowledge-based activity will provide compounding technicians with the necessary skills for the safe handling of non-hazardous and hazardous drugs while preparing non-sterile dosage forms. Activity content surrounding relevant law, regulatory guidelines, and standards of practice is subdivided into a unique system, referred to as System P, which includes the following divisions: Personnel, Property, Procedure, Process, Preparation, and Patient. This section of the activity places emphasis on quality assurance and quality control through the implementation of standard operating procedures.

The activity engages the technician to understand the concept of compounding by composition (an in-depth look at the chemistry of solutions and dispersions in the form of suspensions and emulsions) and then apply this concept to the compounding of solid, semi-solid, and liquid dosage forms. Preparatory procedures are then related to the combination of route of delivery, dosage form, preparatory state-of-matter, and the final state-of-matter of the compounded medication. Finally, there is an exploration in excipient selection, function, and application in relation to composition, dosage form, and route of delivery.

Pharmaceutical calculations are presented in detail, providing a required level of quality control and quality management during the compounding process. Finally, the participant is introduced to process development, which leads to the establishment of pharmacy practice-specific master formulation records. A master formulation record template is also introduced and serves equally well as a process development record and compounding record that can be implemented in everyday practice.