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Sterilize the pharmacy with a pharmacy cleaning checklist

Use this pharmacy cleaning checklist to evaluate and develop your general cleaning and disinfecting practices, sterile preparation compounding, and infection control in pharmacies or drug stores. Immediately inspect the clothing, hygiene, and aseptic method of pharmacy staff members, storage and waste management and main engineering controls.
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Pharmacy Cleaning Checklist
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Are the washing agents and supplies readily accessible to staff?
Is the pharmacy and areas where medications are put, compounded, dispensed, arranged, and controlled clean?
Do the employees use organisation–approved cleaning methods and cleaning and disinfecting agents?
Are alcohol-based hand rub boxes properly located?
Are automated assigning cabinets and bins cleaned according to the producer’s recommendations and directions?
Are the cleaning and disinfecting agents properly marked and diluted?
Is there a sufficient number of sinks and adequate space and equipment for cleaning equipment and washing hands?
Are drug manufacture, packaging, and dispensing equipment (e.g., mortars, pestles, pill crushers/splitters, counting trays, graduated cylinders, unit-dose packaging tools, and balances) sanitised after each use and disinfected, if required?
Are devices used for crushing or splitting tablets cleaned immediately after use according to producers’ recommendations and instructions?
Is the equipment kept clean and put in a clean area? (Note: Places under sinks are not clean areas. Mortars, grinders, glassware, and other material that must be maintained clean must be deposited in a clean area)
Are the medication carts, drawers, and bins including individual patient’s medications kept spotless?
Boxes and Storage
Are cardboard boxes stored off the floor?
Are shipping containers not stored or opened (i.e., torn or cut) in any area reserved for prepackaging medicines or compounding sterile products? (Note: Handling and storing shipping boxes (e.g., cardboard boxes) must be made with minimal air disturbances and distribution of dust particles. Intravenous (IV) bags and bottles and similar supplies must be removed from cartons and cleaned with an approved disinfecting agent before placing them in the sterile preparation area.)
Waste management
Is noninfectious waste not combined with infectious waste?
Does personnel dispose of the waste following the business’s infection control policies and methods?
Are the waste disposal containers near the area of use?
Infectious Waste
Are materials used in patient rooms not returned to the pharmacy?
Are infectious waste disposal boxes close to the area of use?
Does personnel dispose of the infectious waste following the pharmacy’s infection control policies and methods?
Is infectious waste stored in specially designated containers (e.g., red bags) and disposed of separately from regular trash?
Attire
Does the staff wear proper attire in non-sterile areas?
Does staff remove jewellery and cosmetics before working with sterile preparations?
Is attire used in the sterile compounding area clean and reduces the potential for shedding and contamination, and fits the organization’s policy and state regulations?
Hygiene
Does staff with rashes, sunburn, weeping sores, conjunctivitis or active respiratory infection not make sterile preparations?
Does fingernail length comply with the organisation’s methods and procedures?
Does personnel use a handwashing method and cleaning agents that are approved by the organisation?
Does the use of plastic fingernails comply with the organisation’s policies and methods?
Is regular handwashing done at the beginning of the shift, after visiting the restroom, before and after eating, and when the hands are soiled? It should also be clean under the fingernails.
Sterile Preparation Compounding
Does staff wash their hands completely before compounding sterile preparations?
Does staff who leave the sterile preparations compounding area wash their hands again before resuming compounding?
Do areas for increasing sterile preparations reduce opportunities for particulate and microbial contamination of the arrangements?
Are floors in the ante and buffer spaces cleaned following USP demands?
Are all compounded sterile preparations marked with beyond-use dates?
Are compounded sterile preparations quarantined and examined by a pharmacist earlier to release from the pharmacy? (The person who does the inspection should not be the person who compounded the preparation)
Primary Engineering Controls (PEC)
Is routine, like cleaning or replacing prefilters, performed regularly and according to companies’ specifications?
Are sterile preparations compounded in an appropriately controlled laminar airflow workbench, biological safety cabinet, increasing aseptic isolator, or compounding aseptic containment isolator?
Are compounding of medium- and high-risk arrangements, parenteral nutrition, antineoplastic and other dangerous agents, cardioplegia, and other preparations that need specialized knowledge or equipment normally found only in the pharmacy compounded in the pharmacy by specially qualified staff?
Is USP Purified Water used to remove water-soluble residues, and then the same surfaces are sanitised with a non-residue generating agent working with a lint-free wipe? (You can use sterile 70% isopropyl alcohol to sanitise, but you can use other materials as well)
Are the main engineering control surfaces clean and frequently disinfected, including at the beginning of each work shift, before each batch preparation is started, every 30 minutes throughout continuous compounding activity, when spills happen, and whenever surface contamination is identified or suspected?
Are all objects removed from the surface before cleaning it? Infection-control policies and methods should include a schedule and method for cleaning primary engineering controls (e.g.: laminar airflow workbenches, biological safety cabinets, compounding aseptic isolators, and compounding aseptic containment isolators).
Are HEPA filters renewed or repaired when approved by a fitted certifier?
Are controls of operational efficiency of all main engineering controls, ante areas, and buffer ranges performed at least every six months by a qualified certifier?
Are environmental controlling of both non-viable and viable performed as needed?
Wipe the work surface, clean side panels, and other accessible surfaces. Start at the top and back and working downward and toward the front, unless the producer prescribes a different procedure.
Are results of environmental controlling reported to the management?
Are the primary engineering controls reviewed and approved when they are first placed in service, at least every six months, when service is completed, or they are replaced to a new location? (Certification of primary engineering checks is normally documented by putting a sticker on the device and following inspection records on file)
Aseptic Technique
Are bins for disposal of used needles and other sharp items available, used correctly, and not overfilled?
Are syringes utilised on one patient only and then disposed of correctly?
Is a sterile syringe applied for each medication withdrawn?
Is a sterile needle used for each medicine withdrawn?
Single-Use Containers
Are single-use containers discarded instantly after use in accordance with the company’s policies?
Are single-use containers not reused?
Multiple-Dose Containers
Are multiple-dose boxes that will be reused after the first puncture marked with an appropriate beyond-use date? (All multiple-dose containers meant for reuse must be marked with a beyond-use date whether they are marked with the date of the first entry or not)
Are multiple-dose containers not used past the time designated by the organization’s policies? (The time period must not exceed 4 weeks unless a longer time period is particularly referenced in the package supplement for the product. Whatever the policy, the time must not conflict with the producer’s recommendations nor reach beyond the manufacturer’s expiration date.)
Are pharmacy large packages of electrolytes and other products utilised in the pharmacy for no more than 4 hours after the primary entry into the container unless the producers’ product information gives for another time period? Any usable portions are discharged.
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Essential Steps for Maintaining a Safe and Sanitary Pharmacy Environment With a Pharmacy Cleaning Checklist


Maintaining a hygienic environment in a pharmacy is a critical responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy environment for patients, staff, and customers. A pharmacy cleaning checklist provides a comprehensive list of tasks that must be performed to keep the pharmacy clean and safe. This includes tasks such as disinfecting practices, sterile preparation compounding, and infection control. Having this checklist in place, helps you ensure that the pharmacy is kept clean and free from germs or other contaminants that could potentially affect the health of customers or staff.


The pharmacy cleaning checklist also supports you to identify areas that may require more cleaning or attention. This allows for a more thorough cleaning process that is tailored to the needs of your pharmacy or drugstore. In addition to its practical uses, a pharmacy cleaning checklist secures that your pharmacy is meeting all of the necessary health and safety regulations. This way your business is compliant with any applicable laws and regulations and minimizes the risk of liability if any health or safety issues arise.

Please note that this checklist template is a hypothetical appuses-hero example and provides only standard information. The template does not aim to replace, among other things, workplace, health and safety advice, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or any other applicable law. You should seek your professional advice to determine whether the use of such a checklist is appropriate in your workplace or jurisdiction.