I have never felt the need to do this, but if you are worried about the strength of your repair, you can apply spackling to the damaged area first and then immediately apply the patch over the spackling paste while it's still wet. There's no need to wait for the compound to dry prior to applying the patch. But don't apply spackle beyond the area of the gray circle of the patch or it could interfere with the adhesion of the patch to the drywall.