Team work on hazardous drugs exposure handling measures and future prospects

Abstract

Abstract In Japan, after the publication of guidelines for preventing Hazardous drug (HD) exposure in cancer treatment in 2015, much attention has been drawn to measures to prevent occupational exposure to HDs. However, sufficient HD measures have not been gained. A multi-institutional HD exposure survey was conducted from February 2016 to March 2018 as the National Hospital Organization (NHO) Hospital Network Research. In this survey, measures were taken by the exposure control team based on the actual HD exposure survey. As a result of repeated planning and implementation, the situation of HD exposure at each facility improved. Since the purpose of this study was to present a methodology for developing specific exposure measures, Ehime Prefecture Cancer cooperation council had started to establish a HD handling system based on this survey. A multicenter HD exposure survey was planned and implemented at 14 cancer hospitals. At 14 hospitals, we conducted HD exposure surveys using the sampling sheet method and the wipe method in the pharmaceutical division and the chemotherapeutic unit twice in 2018. Medical staff at each hospital organized a HD handling team and discussed specific measures to construct the safe handling system for HD exposure. In addition, a meeting was held to share information and discuss the two exposure survey results. At each facility, the actual condition of HD exposure improved in the second survey compared to the first. A third survey will be conducted this fall, including exposure surveys in wards, and plans are to be implemented based on continuous exposure monitoring. We established a system to create the practical HD exposure control system including doctors, nurses and pharmacists in Ehime prefecture, and promote continuous planning of measures by the team.