Survey of Guidelines and Current Practices for Safe Handling of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs Used in 24 Countries

Details

• Personal Author:
  Connor, Thomas H. ; MacKenzie, Barbara A. ; Mathias PI ; Toennis CA
• Description:
  Purpose: A survey of guidelines and current practices was conducted to examine the safe handling procedures for antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs that are used in 24 countries including the Americas, Europe, the Mideast, Far East, and Australia. Methods: Subject experts were asked to complete a brief survey regarding safe handling guidelines and practices for hazardous drugs in their countries. Questions addressed practices for handling monoclonal antibodies, the use of closed-system transfer devices, medical surveillance practices, and measurements of compliance with existing guidelines. Results: Responses from 37 subject experts representing 24 countries revealed considerable variation in the content and scope of safe handling guidelines and pharmacy practices among the participating countries. Guidelines in the majority of countries used the term "cytotoxics," while others referred to "hazardous" or "antineoplastic" drugs. The International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practice standard was cited by six countries, and five cited the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Alert. Others cited international guidelines other than International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practice, or they have created their own guidelines. Approximately half reported that their guidelines were mandatory under federal, state, or provincial legislation. Only 11 countries reported that monoclonal antibodies were covered in their guidelines. Closed-system drug-transfer devices are widely used, but were not specifically recommended in four countries, while one country required their use. Medical surveillance programs are in place in 20 countries, but only in The Netherlands is surveillance mandatory. Nine countries reported that they have completed recent updates or revisions of guidelines, and the measures for their adoption have been initiated. Conclusions: Although the overall goals in the participating countries were similar, the approaches taken to assure safe handling of hazardous drugs varied considerably in some cases. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Antibodies
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biopharmaceutics
  • Drug Therapy
  • Hazardous Substances
  • Hazardous Waste
  • Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services
  • Health Personnel
  • Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities
  • Neoplasms
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Global health
  • Health surveys
  • Hazard communication
  • Antineoplastic-agents
  • Oncogenic-agents
  • Drugs
  • Hazardous drugs
  • Hazardous materials
  • Hazard controls
  • Guidelines
  More +
• ISSN:
  1078-1552
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  148-162
• Volume:
  25
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050350
• Citation:
  J Oncol Pharm Pract 2019 Jan; 25(1):148-162
• Contact Point Address:
  Thomas H Connor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1090 Tusculum Avenue MS C-23, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  tmc6@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210731/cdc_210731_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 693.39 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dcfe53c1f2aa5c0a03dde2d0ddd82f65eec8e076878792da8d440b1c20abde3fc6ba621f41f3068f488d423fa0ae6014304c5f10163999dd6b9a66275f0b72cf