Chemotherapy Safe Handling through Educating Nurses: A Pre-Experimental Study

Abstract

Introduction: Chemotherapy is a proven prodigy for the treatment of carcinoma but it can possess certain deleterious effects on the healthcare professionals while on constant exposure. Being frontline workers, nursing officers continuously come in contact with these chemotherapeutic agents. Hence, it is of paramount importance that nurses working in oncology unit have adequate knowledge and skill regarding safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs. Materials and methods: Pre-experimental one group pretest post-test design was adopted to accomplish the objectives. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to select 30 nurses working in the oncology care unit. The data was collected using structured knowledge questionnaire and observational practice checklist. The obtained data were analysed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean pre-test knowledge and practice score was 17.5 (± 2.28) and 9.13 (± 1.52) respectively. However, the post-test knowledge and practice score were 27.03 (± 1.73) and 13.8 (± 1.09) that reveals improvement knowledge and practice after structured teaching program. The calculated t test value was 26.78 and 28.91 for knowledge and practice which is highly significant at 0.05 level. Conclusion: The study findings concluded that the Structured Teaching Program has improved the knowledge and practice of nurses regarding safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs and it is highly recommended that the nurses need periodic and consistent update knowledge supported by policies to enforce guideline implementation.

Clamp for Safety: Improving Intravesical Chemotherapy Practices

“…3,5,10,14,16,17 Providing educational activities on safely administering chemotherapeutic agents is an important strategy to help HCP maintain a safe practice environment. 10,16,18,19 In 2015, results of a national survey of 241 nurses and 183 pharmacy professionals showed that approximately 10% of the respondents had not participated in any educational activities addressing the safe handling of chemotherapeutic agents; approximately half of the respondents had participated in an educational activity on the topic before the survey, but the activity had occurred more than a year before the survey. 20 The educational activities should be based on the clinician's role 14 and should occur before handling hazardous medications and routinely thereafter.…”

“…5 The activities may involve simulation, 18 blended learning, 18 or audiovisual presentations. 19 Providing educational activities on safely administering chemotherapeutic agents is an important strategy to help HCP maintain a safe practice environment.…”

“…The educational activities should be based on the clinician's role 14 and should occur before handling hazardous medications and routinely thereafter 5 . The activities may involve simulation, 18 blended learning, 18 or audiovisual presentations 19 …”