Since chemotherapy agents have been around in the 1950s there have been studies to find out the effect on the health care workers, particularly the pharmacists who make the drugs and nurses who administer the drugs to the patients. I will be focusing my research on the nurses who administer the chemotherapy drugs to the patients. Chemotherapy falls under the hazardous drug category due to the low levels of exposure nurses are exposed to while administering chemotherapy.
The first study on oncology nurses and risks of chemotherapy exposure where done in the late 1970s when mutagenic changes were discovered in the urine of nurses who administered chemotherapy. The first set of guidelines for the safe handling of chemotherapy was made around
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On my first day of clinical one nurse put on the personal protection equipment (PPE) and said, “I am just wearing this to show you what we’re supposed to do” but then they don’t regularly use all the PPE required. When discussing the PPE while administering chemo some nurses even said they “don’t work in an NCLEX hospital”. This made me want to see what the exact protocol is at UMH for handling chemotherapy drugs and why these precautions are in place.
According to the Policy and Procedures UMHC/Sylvester, in the Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Standards and Policies Code 1321 (2012), before administering chemotherapy nurses must have the following PPE available:
Powder free disposable gloves used for handling chemotherapeutic agents, disposable lint free gown with solid front and long sleeves with tight cuffs and back closure, eye and face protection if risk for splashing present respirator mask for cleaning spill or risk of aerosol exposure. (Pg. 2). Discussion of leadership strategies to interface/solve the problem with review of the literature
Each hospital or clinic has their own policies and procedures in place to protect employees who administer chemotherapy. Since some nurses give chemotherapy to patients regularly, it’s important to always follow these procedures and know why they are set in place. According Polovich and Martin (2011), chemotherapy exposure by nurses has been linked to short and long term health effects,
Procedures for sanitation management; all countertops bust be cleaned all the time from boxes, bottles and paper. Washing your hands is a requirement for all personal in the healthcare profession. Using PPE (Personal protective equipment) help keep personal in the pharmacy (and healthcare industry) protected against infection and spread. PPE include gloves, masks, and
Patient safety is number one in hospitals. Every staff member that comes into contact with a patient should always have the question, “Will the patient be safe?” in the back of
According to a cross-sectional study involving 237 nurses, approximately 65% of the nurses have made medication error. Only 31% of the participants reported medication errors. According to the study the most common type of reported errors were wrong dosage and infusion rate. The most common causes were using abbreviations of the drugs and similar names of the drugs. However, the study did not find any relationship between medication years and years of experience, age, and working shift. Yet study found association between intravenous injection and gender (Cheragi at al
| State why and when health and safety control equipment, identified by the principles of protection, should be used relating to types, purpose and limitations of each type, the work situation, occupational use and the general work environment, in relation to:– collective protective measures– personal protective equipment (PPE)– respiratory protective equipment (RPE)– local exhaust ventilation (LEV).
The use of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), like plastic aprons, gloves footwear when handling contaminated items, including items contaminated with body fluids, and disposing of waste,
The employer is responsible for making sure all employees use PPE when it is required to help prevent and control infection
The provision and use of personal protective equipment could include using gloves, glasses, earmuffs, aprons, safety footwear, dust masks.
Flames of evolution in patient care have been fanned into a wholesome revolution in the nature of nursing care due to the ever changing healthcare needs and demands of patients. This has led to a paradigm shift from generalized patient care to a patient centered approach. The increase in interaction and individualized patient management has improved healthcare delivery. However, on the flipside, this has not come with new challenges. Healthcare providers are increasingly being exposed to new health hazards as new and sophisticated treatment approaches are developed. Injuries due to sharps are of significance in nursing practice. The International Healthcare Workers Safety Center (2010) reports that an average of 27.97 per 100 licensed beds sharps injuries occurred in 2007 while in 2008 17.2 per 100 licensed beds sharps injuries were recorded. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), 385,000 healthcare workers are injured due to sharps annually in the United States. This puts the healthcare personnel at risk of contracting infections such as Hepatitis C and B from contaminated objects. In regard to this concept, this paper will explore sharps safety at the clinical site with a view of using evidence based practice to creating awareness on the need for sharps safety in hospital settings.
They are responsible for what seems like everyone and everything. However, nurses have all the tools they need to be effective and safe nurses early on. The standards of precautions are one of those tools nurses are taught that aids them in protecting every patient they care for, including him or herself. Regardless of the patient’s health status, the nurse should use their better judgment when implementing care. In order to prevent interruption in the chain of infection, nurses are to adhere to the standards of precautions by thinking critically when providing patient care. No matter how presumably capable or experience a colleague may be, evidence-based practice proves that standard precautions are greatly impacting the nursing field. Nurses need to stick to their guns and not compromise their beliefs for fear of being the odd man out. The more the nurse implements those practices in their everyday routine the more it will become second nature. By gaining knowledge of the importance of standard precautions, the nurse will in turn become more compliant and adherent, and be better suited to provide effective quality care to all
These guidelines provide nurses with the most up to date regulations to keep their patients safe. Some of the guidelines include; with the administration of all medications or blood products the nurse should use two patient identifiers (such as name, DOB, MRN, and blood band), label all medications and solutions to reduce or eliminate medication errors, and prevent hospital acquired infections by providing Foley care, central line care, performing hand hygiene, etc.(“National Patient Safety Goals,”2015).
My job as a certified nursing aide or CNA is to give direct care both medical and non-medical to patients. CNA’s can work at various healthcare facilities including hospitals, outpatient departments, long term facilities, clinics, and private home. CNA’s speed a huge time in taking and recording patient vitals, collecting specimens, and providing care for patient’s needs and wants. I myself work in a hospital. Some of the main equipment used to help me perform my job is gloves, masks, protective clothing (such as throw away gowns, hair nets, shoe covers), and face shields. These items are very important as a CNA and help protect you and the patient you are caring for. The largest piece of machinery or equipment I use is a lift, called a Hoyer
Nursing standard of practice is important for safety of others because patients are relying on educated nurses who can protect them from other illness. Safety of medication is important for patients. Sometimes doctors can make a mistake! I remember one of my friend told me who is a nurse at Regions Hospital told me that one of the doctor prescribed “hydralazine” which is vasodilator to prevent a high blood pressure but the patient had an anxiety problem and was looking to get “hydroxyzine” which helps treat anxiety problem. The nurse know that so he mention and the doctor made some correction. Also, it is important to keep the nurses up to date with new technology and isolation protocol to help them understand what to do when someone have
Protective clothing including masks, gloves, gowns and goggles should be worn when coming into contact with an infected person. The US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that the protective gear leaves no skin exposed. These measures should be carried out for those who may handle objects contaminated by an infected person's body fluids. In 2014, the CDC began recommending that medical personnel receive training on the proper suit-up and removal of personal protective equipment (PPE); in addition, a designated person, appropriately trained in biosafety, should be watching each step of these procedures to ensure they are done correctly. The typical training period for the use of such safety equipment lasted approximately 12 days in Sierra Leone.
All PPE should be worn only during patient care while in the patient’s room. Once you leave the patients area or room you should disposed of all pieces in the trash.
Dose-limiting toxicity describes a situation when side effects of a particular treatment or use of a drug are serious or severe to prevent an increase in a drug dose or level of treatment. Cisplatin remains a major antineoplastic drug for the treatment of solid tumor and is classified as an alkylatin agent. Nephrotoxicity is a major dose-limiting toxicity that is related to cisplatin.