195 Nurses and antineoplastic agents: factors influencing exposure risk

Background Chemotherapy drugs pose a hazard to those administering them. This study examined the effects of individual, situational, and organisational factors on compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE), use of engineering controls, and exposures in a sample of oncology nurses (n = 1.915). Methods Data came from the web-based NIOSH Health and Safety Practices Survey of Healthcare Workers. Survey measures included demographics, employment situation, safety practices, training, safety climate, antineoplastic drug (AD) administration, and exposures. Results Preliminary descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted. Two stepwise multiple regressions were computed with PPE compliance and engineering controls as outcome variables. For PPE, safety climate and familiarity with guidelines were the strongest predictors of use (both p Conclusions This study highlights the importance of organisational and safety management practices in preventing exposures to antineoplastic agents. Exposures increased with the number of AD administrations, but policies/procedures, associated controls, and safety climate reduced risk.