What is a critical step before proceeding to the LAFW during compounding?

The critical step before proceeding to the Laminar Air Flow Workbench (LAFW) during compounding is to sanitize gloves. This is essential because the sterile compounding environment requires technicians and pharmacists to maintain the highest level of aseptic technique to prevent contamination.

Sanitizing gloves helps to ensure that any potential contaminants from the gloves themselves are removed before entering the sterile field of the LAFW. This reduces the risk of introducing microorganisms into compounded sterile preparations, thereby ensuring patient safety. In sterile compounding, even minimal contamination can result in serious health risks for patients, so maintaining aseptic conditions is paramount.

While putting on a gown, cleaning the workspace, and changing shoes also are important components of maintaining a sterile environment, their roles occur at different stages. The gowning process and workspace cleaning are necessary prior actions but sanitizing gloves is the final check before interacting with the sterile environment of the LAFW, making it a critical step.