Medical surveillance for health care workers exposed to hazardous drugs

Healthcare workers who prepare, administer, or transport hazardous drugs or dispose of hazardous drug waste may face risks to their own health such as skin disorders, reproductive disorders, and possibly cancer. NIOSH recommends that employers establish a medical surveillance program as part of a comprehensive prevention program that also minimizes worker exposure through engineering controls, good work practices, and personal protective equipment (PPE) and provides education about working with hazardous drugs. Medical surveillance involves collecting and interpreting data to detect changes in the health status of working populations potentially exposed to hazardous substances. The elements of a medical surveillance program are used to establish an initial baseline of workers' health and then monitor their future health as it relates to their potential exposure to hazardous agents. This information can be used to identify and correct prevention failures leading to disease. Early identification of health problems can also benefit individual workers."November 2012."The principal authors of this document were Melissa McDiarmid, University of Maryland; Martha Polovich, Oncology Nursing Society; Luci Power, Power Enterprises; and Thomas H. Connor and David Weissman of NIOSH.Available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (588 KB, 4 p.).Includes bibliographical references (p. [4])