Investigating Compliance With the Standard Principles of Using Personal Protective Equipment by Nurses Exposed to Chemotherapy Drugs

The increasing number of patients with cancer has led to the growing use of chemotherapy drugs. This fact was followed by a growing concern about the safety and adverse effects of these drugs on healthcare staff at risks for occupational exposure to chemotherapeutic agents.  This study investigated compliance with the standard principles of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by nurses exposed to chemotherapy drugs.  This was a cross-sectional study. It was performed on 73 personnel of a hospital in Isfahan City, Iran, who were exposed to chemotherapy drugs. The required data were collected by a questionnaire according to the standard protocols of NIOSH, ASHP, and OSHA . After obtaining the required permission by the hospital, the questionnaires were provided to nurses in different wards and data were collected in one stage. The achieved data were analyzed in SPSS by descriptive statistical tests (mean, standard deviation, percentage, & frequency). The obtained results revealed that the mean values of the standard principles of using gloves and breathing protective were as average, and the mean values of the standard principles using eye and face protection as well as guns were poor. Compliance with the standard principles using personal protective equipment for PPE was modest and poor in nurses working with chemotherapy drugs; therefore, nursing staff is exposed to the complications of these drugs and necessary measures and improvements should be considered in compliance with standards, in this regard.