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- Title
Chemotherapy/Biotherapy Tubing Maps: Standardization of Intravenous Tubing for Chemotherapy/Biotherapy.
- Authors
Tomoko Uemoto
- Abstract
Intravenous (IV) tubing set up for chemotherapy/biotherapy can be as complicated as a subway map in a big city due to increased complexity and volume of recent combination protocols. Safety concerns for the handling of biohazard drugs have made the set up for IV tubing more complex. According to the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), “a main source of exposure for nurses is spiking of the IV bags and priming of the tubing.” In the past, IV tubing set up for chemotherapy/ biotherapy was a much simpler process. The chemotherapy IV bag was unspiked after completion, and the next chemotherapy IV bag was then spiked with the same IV tubing. Nowadays, in order to avoid exposing chemotherapy contaminants to humans and the environment, unspiking a chemotherapy IV bag is no longer recommended; if three biohazard drugs are administered, then three separate IV tubing set ups are required – in addition to the primary IV tubing. In an effort to deal with the complexity of this newer process, chemotherapy registered nurses may draw a “map” for each IV tubing protocol. To date, there is little direction for nurses to draw IV tubing maps for chemotherapy/biotherapy, which makes it difficult to ensure consistent practice. The systemic suite at Stronach Regional Cancer Centre (SRCC) has been motivated to standardize IV tubing maps by following the principles of how to set up IV tubing for chemotherapy/ biotherapy. Consistency is critical to chemotherapy settings due to the potential cytotoxic effects to humans and the environment from unexpected exposure to biohazard drugs and the possibility of compromised drug delivery to the patient if drugs are not handled properly. The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the ONS state that standards for the administration of chemotherapy may reduce errors and are essential for quality improvement in cancer care. This project was aimed to increase the safety level of chemotherapy/ biotherapy drug administration and maximize the effectiveness of cancer treatment by standardizing IV tubing set up for each chemotherapy/ biotherapy protocol.
- Subjects
UNITED States; INTRAVENOUS therapy equipment; ANTINEOPLASTIC agents; BIOTHERAPY; CANCER chemotherapy; ONCOLOGY nursing; COMBINATION drug therapy; DRUG administration; HAZARDOUS substances; INDUSTRIAL safety; OCCUPATIONAL hazards; ENVIRONMENTAL exposure
- Publication
Vascular Access, 2014, Vol 8, Issue 2, p12
- ISSN
1913-6692
- Publication type
Article