Impact of Required Versus Optional Remake of a Preparation on Pharmacy Students’ Compounding Accuracy

This retrospective study investigated the impact of a required vs an optional remake requirement on student performance in a compounding laboratory course in which students' compounded preparations were analyzed.The analysis data for several preparations made by students over a 3-year period were compared for differences in the analyzed content of the active principal ingredient and the number of students who successfully compounded the preparation on the first attempt.Students' compounding accuracy was significantly better for the ketoprofen (pluronic lecithin organogel [PLO]) emulsion (p= 0.003) and mock co-enzyme Q10 troches (p< 0.001) when remaking an inaccurate preparation was optional rather than required. There were no significant differences in the parameters for the other compounded preparations.Student performance did not decrease when students were given the option to remake an inaccurate preparation. Factors such as the difficulty of the preparation, time spent compounding, and impact on the student's final course grade also may have influenced student performance.