If a pharmacy compounds fewer than 5 preparations per week, where can they place their BSC or CAI?

In a pharmacy compounding environment, the placement of a Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) or Compounding Aseptic Isolation (CAI) is influenced by the type of preparations being made and the specific requirements for sterile compounding.

For a pharmacy that compounds fewer than 5 preparations per week, the regulatory guidelines allow for a less stringent requirement regarding room pressure. In this case, the appropriate choice is a positive pressure room.

A positive pressure room creates an environment where the air pressure inside the room is higher than the air pressure outside. This is critical when compounding non-hazardous sterile preparations, as it helps to keep contaminants out of the sterile compounding area. The positive pressure helps maintain sterility and ensures that any air that may enter the space is filtered, therefore, it is suitable for environments where only a few preparations are made.

It's important to note that negative pressure rooms are primarily used for hazardous compounding to prevent contamination from exiting the room and to protect personnel. Since the question indicates that the pharmacy compounds few preparations and does not specify hazardous materials, the positive pressure room is the most suitable option for ensuring safety and sterility in this context.

Other options, such as negative pressure or any room with good ventilation