Nurses' knowledge about the administration and handling of chemotherapeutic drugs

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, thus the administration of chemotherapy is increasing in order to try and battle cancer. Since exposure to chemotherapy drugs can cause various side effects, nurses' all over the world need to be knowledgeable in order handle these drugs safely. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore nurses' knowledge about the administration and handling of chemotherapeutic drugs by investigating: what details nurses check for before administering chemotherapy; the safety precautions nurses take while handling chemotherapy; how nurses dispose of equipment used during administration; and how nurses handle chemotherapy spillages. For this nonexperimental, quantitative cross sectional study a structured questionnaire was distributed to 50 nurses working in the 5 main oncology wards in 2 different hospitals in Malta. The response rate was 80% (n=40). Data was analysed by grouping the answers given by the respondents according to the research study objectives. The findings of the study suggest that nurses have a good general idea of the safety precautions that need to be taken, but lack specific knowledge in certain areas. These include; certain details that nurses' need to check for before administering a chemotherapy drug, the frequency of use, and the kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed, knowledge on topical chemotherapy administration and knowledge on handling spills. The study concluded that more equipment is needed and continuous learning and training should be provided. More research exploring the knowledge of nurses when handling and administering chemotherapy should be carried out as this is lacking both on international and national levels. Furthermore, protocols and guidelines should be established to guide nurses on administrating chemotherapy safely and reduce any exposures that can be caused by these drugs.