How often should cleaning and disinfecting be performed in a PEC?

In a Pharmacy Environment for Compounding (PEC), daily cleaning and disinfecting is critically important to maintain a sterile environment and ensure the safety and integrity of compounded sterile preparations. The compounded materials can easily become contaminated from various sources, such as airborne pathogens and particles, or surfaces that are not properly maintained.

By performing cleaning and disinfection daily, you are effectively reducing the risk of microbial contamination, which is essential for patient safety and compliance with regulatory standards like those established by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). This routine cleaning protocol includes not only actual cleaning with appropriate detergents but also effective disinfection using approved agents to eliminate any residual microorganisms on surfaces.

While there may be additional cleaning performed after every use or more intensive cleaning needed at specified times, daily maintenance is the foundational practice recommended to ensure that the PEC remains in a consistently sterile state between uses. This proactive approach helps prevent contamination and contributes to the overall quality of the compounding process.