The Effect of Drug Hazard Counselling in Improving Public Knowledge Level of Hazardous Drugs

The drugs abuse (narcotics, psychotropic and addictive substances) from year to year has been increasing. Drug abuse is a threat and complex problem that can destroy the society. This research is expected to describe the effectiveness of public counselling conducted by BNN West Bandung Regency on the prevention of drug abuse on the knowledge of society. This research was conducted in 2021 in Cigugur Girang Village of West Bandung Regency. This research used quantitative approach with pre-experimental one group pretest-posttest design. The results of the analysis with the paired sample t-test showed that there is a difference between the final understanding and the initial understanding of the community who received counseling on drug hazards, implying that counseling activities are extremely effective in improving public knowledge level of hazardous drugs.

Evaluation of density variations to determine impact on sterile compounding

Purpose To determine the density variation between (1) the measured density and manually calculated density, (2) density variation of different lots, and (3) density variation of different drug manufacturers in order to support institutions using gravimetric compounding methods. Summary Seventeen sterile injectable ingredient (drug) vials frequently used to make compounded sterile products (CSPs) were identified based on the ability to ensure that for each drug there were vials produced by 2 different manufacturers and 2 lots produced by the same manufacturer. Each drug’s density was measured using a density meter and by manual calculation using the institution’s density formula. Density differences were compared between the 2 different methods. Overall, the average drug density difference between the measured versus calculated density was determined to be 0.022. Further analysis revealed the average difference between the different lot numbers of the same manufacturers was 0.005 for the nonhazardous drugs and 0.0001 for the hazardous drugs. The average difference between the different manufacturers of the same drug was determined to be 0.008 for the nonhazardous drugs and 0.001 for hazardous drugs. Conclusion No clinically meaningful difference exists when manually calculating a drug’s density compared to measuring a drug’s density using a density meter. In addition, there does not appear to be a sizeable density variation between the same drugs in separate lots or produced by different manufacturers.

An assessment of oncology pharmacy educational needs among community pharmacists in Zimbabwe

Background: Oncology pharmacy is a specialty that is central to provision and use of anti-cancer medications. In Zimbabwe, pharmacists rely on a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree (B.Pharm.) and in-house training in the provision of oncology services. This study sought to assess knowledge, perceptions, current practices and prior education in oncology pharmacy among community pharmacists. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Harare. Results: A response rate of 93.0% was achieved. The mean knowledge score was 4.0%. Up to 96.8% of pharmacists thought that prior training in oncology was inadequate. Only ten pharmacists in the sample actually dispensed chemotherapy regularly. Of these, none comprehensive measures for the safe handling of hazardous drugs. Conclusion: A B.Pharm. degree does not provide pharmacists with adequate scientific knowledge and competencies required for the provision of oncology pharmacy services. Structured educational programmes for pharmacists in oncology should be implemented.

Analysis of chemical contamination by hazardous drugs with BD HD Check® system in a tertiary hospital

The presence of contamination in the healthcare work environment by one of the types of hazardous drugs, cytostatics, has been found in multiple international studies. Recent studies and guidelines recommend surface monitoring for risk assessment of healthcare professionals’ exposure. The availability of detection techniques is critical to successfully carry out this type of monitoring. The use of new semi-quantitative techniques allows quicker results. The main objective of this study was to determine the existence of hazardous drugs on the working surfaces in different locations of a tertiary hospital using the BD HD Check® semi-quantitative device. The presence of methotrexate, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide was analysed at 80, 89 and 82 locations in 10, 13 and 11 clinical units, respectively. A total of 251 samples were analysed. The monitoring results were positive for 13.1% of the analysed samples, with 36.3% of the methotrexate samples, 0% of the doxorubicin samples and 4.9% of the cyclophosphamide samples. Mapping the presence of HD in our hospital has allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of controls established in the hospital to minimise the exposure of healthcare professionals to hazardous drugs. The speed in obtaining results has enabled immediate corrective actions in cases where contaminated surfaces were detected.

Helping to protect cancer nurses from exposure to hazardous drugs

Freelance medical writer Christine Clark ( [email protected] ) reports on an online meeting held in April 2021 on protecting nursing staff working in oncology from exposure to hazardous drugs

Perception of risk of exposure in the management of hazardous drugs in home hospitalization and hospital units

Objective To assess the perception of risk of exposure in the management of hazardous drugs (HDs) through home hospitalization and hospital units. Material and methods A questionnaire was released, at the national level, to health professionals with HD management expertise. Questionnaire included 21 questions that were scored using a Likert scale: 0 (null probability) to 4 (very high probability). The internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire were calculated using Cronbach’s alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient, respectively. Results 144 questionnaires (response rate 70.2%) were obtained: 65 (45.1%) were nurses, 42 (28.9%) occupational physicians, and 37 (26.1%) were pharmacists. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.93, and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.94 (95% CI 0.91–0.97; p-value < 0.001). The mean probability was 1.95 ± 1.02 (median 1.9; minimum: 0.05; 1st quartile 1.1; 3rd quartile 2.6; and maximum 4). Differences were observed in scoring among professional groups (occupational physicians versus nurses (1.6/2.1, p = 0.044); pharmacists versus nurses (1.7/2.1, p = 0.05); and occupational physicians versus pharmacists (1.6/1.7, p = 0.785), due mainly to the administration stage (p = 0.015). Conclusions The perception of risk of exposure was moderate, being higher for nurses. It would be advisable to integrate HDs into a standardized management system (risk management model applicable to any healthcare center) to improve the safety of health professionals.

Evaluation of external contamination on the vial surfaces of some hazardous drugs that commonly used in Chinese hospitals and comparison between environmental contamination generated during robotic compounding by IV: Dispensing robot vs. manual compounding in biological safety cabinet

Objectives The aims of the study were to evaluate the external contamination of hazardous drug vials used in Chinese hospitals and to compare environmental contamination generated by a robotic intelligent dispensing system (WEINAS) and a manual compounding procedure using a biological safety cabinet (BSC). Methods Cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, and gemcitabine were selected as the representative hazardous drugs to monitor surface contamination of vials. In the comparative analysis of environmental contamination from manual and robotic compounding, wipe samples were taken from infusion bags, gloves, and the different locations of the BSC and the WEINAS robotic system. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with double mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS) was employed for sample analysis. Results (1) External contamination was measured on vials of all three hazardous drugs. The contamination detected on fluorouracil vials was the highest with an average amount up to 904.33 ng/vial, followed by cyclophosphamide (43.51 ng/vial), and gemcitabine (unprotected vials of 5.92 ng/vial, protected vials of 0.66 ng/vial); (2) overall, the environmental contamination induced by WEINAS robotic compounding was significantly reduced compared to that by manual compounding inside the BSC. Particularly, compared with manual compounding, the surface contamination on the infusion bags during robotic compounding was nearly nine times lower for cyclophosphamide (10.62 ng/cm2 vs 90.43 ng/cm2), two times lower for fluorouracil (3.47 vs 7.52 ng/cm2), and more than 23 times lower for gemcitabine (2.61 ng/cm2 vs 62.28 ng/cm2). Conclusions The external contamination occurred extensively on some hazardous drug vials that commonly used in Chinese hospitals. Comparison analysis for both compounding procedures revealed that robotic compounding can remarkably reduce environmental contamination.