Oncol Nurs Forum

Objective.To evaluate whether a web-based educational intervention improved personal protective equipment (PPE) use among oncology nurses who handle hazardous drugs.Sample and Setting.From 2015 to 2017, we partnered with 12 ambulatory oncology settings in the United States to enroll 396 nurses, 257 of whom completed baseline and primary endpoint surveys.Methods and Variables.In cluster randomized controlled trial, 136 nurses in control settings received a one-hour educational module on PPE use with quarterly reminders and 121 nurses in treatment settings received the control intervention plus tailored messages to address perceived barriers and quarterly data gathered on hazardous drug spills across all study settings. The primary outcome was nurse-reported PPE use.Results.Control and intervention sites had suboptimal PPE use before and after the intervention. No significant differences were observed in PPE use knowledge or perceived barriers. Participants reported high satisfaction with their study experience.Implications for Nursing.Hazardous drug exposure confers notable health risks to health care workers. To improve hazardous drug handling, occupational health providers, health systems, and professional organizations should consider coordinated efforts to implement policy and practice changes.20192020-03-01T00:00:00ZR01 OH010582/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United StatesR01OH010582/ACL HHS/United StatesT42 OH008455/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States1 R01 OH 010582-01 /NH/NIH HHS/United States30767961PMC6425480731