Oral Chemotherapy: Safe Handling in the Home

Background: According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2016), oral anticancer agents (OAC) are hazardous drugs (HD) and require the same safe handling interventions in the home setting as in controlled health care environments. The use of a safe handling checklist for OAC administration is a way nurses can provide safe handling education to patients and caregivers and assess for understanding and competency for critical tasks. Effective home management strategies outlining caregiver protections, proper storage, administration of OACs, spill clean-up, and waste disposal could reduce exposure risks to toxic agents. Objective: To present a safe-handling checklist and TIP sheet for health care providers to use when teaching patients and caregivers oral chemotherapy administration to prevent HD contamination. Methods: The author conducted a literature search in the CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases for research on the risks associated with OAC handling by patients and caregivers and to discover practical ways to address steps in the safe-handling process in a home environment. Findings: There is a need to develop standard work to ensure comprehensive patient and caregiver education with OAC handling. A checklist for patient education is a useful reference for nurses when teaching patients