Knowledge and Practice on Safe Handling of Anticancer Drugs among Hospital Staff in Sri Lanka

Aims: Anticancer drugs are useful to treat cancers but can also harm healthy cells. Hospital oncology staff is exposed to these types of drugs due to lack of knowledge regarding proper handling. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, practice, and challenges on safe handling of anticancer drugs among hospital oncology staff at hospitals in Sri Lanka.

Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted.

Place: This survey-based study has been performed with the help of the hospital staffs employees from Teaching Hospitals from Kandy and Karapitiya, and National Cancer Institute from Maharagama, Sri Lanka.

Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire, containing standard methods to measure knowledge, practice, and challenges for safe handling of anticancer drugs, was used to collect data from 203 participants (17 Pharmacists and 186 Nurses).

Results: Out of 203 participants, 191 (94%) had adequate knowledge; 52 (25.62%) had special training on safe handling of anticancer drugs. 175 (86%) participants were poor on preparation practices and 199 (98%) participants were poor for cleaning practices from the total sample. There was no significant association between knowledge and practices regarding proper handling, protection, and preparation of anticancer drugs.

Conclusion: Although pharmacists and nurses had adequate knowledge on safe handling of anticancer drugs, the standard level of safe handling practices, the knowledge on handling of anticancer drugs was not always applied within the standard level of safe handling practices. Therefore, proper trainings, guidelines, procedures, and Personal Protective Equipment are essential for enhancing safe handling practices.