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Despite longstanding recommendations for the safe handling of hazardous drugs, it's not known whether nurses—including those who are pregnant—wear protective gloves and gowns when administering chemotherapeutic drugs. This study examines this practice among nurses in the Nurses' Health Study 3. Background: Many antineoplastic (chemotherapeutic) drugs are known or probable human carcinogens, and many have been shown to be reproductive toxicants in cancer patients. Evidence from occupational exposure studies suggests that health care workers who have long-term, low-level occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs have an increased risk of adverse reproductive outcomes. It's recommended that, at minimum, nurses who handle or administer such drugs should wear double gloves and a nonabsorbent gown to protect themselves. But it's unclear to what extent nurses do. Purpose: This study assessed glove and gown use by female pregnant and nonpregnant nurses who administer antineoplastic drugs in the United States and Canada. Methods: We used data collected from more than 40,000 nurses participating in the Nurses' Health Study 3. The use of gloves and gowns and administration of antineoplastic drugs within the past month (among nonpregnant nurses) or within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (among pregnant nurses) were self-reported via questionnaire. Results: Administration of antineoplastic drugs at any time during their career was reported by 36% of nonpregnant nurses, including 27% who reported administering these drugs within the past month. Seven percent of pregnant nurses reported administering antineoplastic drugs during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Twelve percent of nonpregnant nurses and 9% of pregnant nurses indicated that they never wore gloves when administering antineoplastic drugs, and 42% of nonpregnant nurses and 38% of pregnant nurses reported never using a gown. The percentage of nonpregnant nurses who reported not wearing gloves varied by type of administration: 32% of those who administered antineoplastic drugs only as crushed pills never wore gloves, compared with 5% of those who administered such drugs only via infusion. Conclusion: Despite longstanding recommendations for the safe handling of antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs, many nurses—including those who are pregnant—reported not wearing protective gloves and gowns, which are considered the minimum protective equipment when administering such drugs. These findings underscore the need for further education and training to ensure that both employers and nurses understand the risks involved and know which precautionary measures will minimize such exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses occupational hazards facing pregnant nurses. These nurses face several types of environmental risks including teratogenic chemicals, infectious agents, and radiation. The article also explains several types of infectious diseases including cytomegalovirus (CMV), parvovirus B19, and influenza.

The article discusses the need to provide nurses' safety which otherwise can lead to the threat in providing medical care. Topics include focus on the murder of nurses in August 2014 who attended a workshop in the African kingdom of Lesotho, establishment of initiatives involving the Health Care in Danger project and the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition by the International Council of Nurses, and need to establish a system that monitors attacks on patients and medical professionals.

The article discusses various issues concerning the exposure of hospital pharmacists and oncology nurses to chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer patients. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 56 percent of workers in large cancer centers wear gloves despite risks of infertility, congenital malformations and cancers. Also discussed are the failure to implement guidelines on handling hazardous drugs and the need for nurses to demand standards and surveillance.

The article focuses on the exposure of nurses and medical personnel to hazardous substances in the form of medications and chemicals in the workplace. The regulation of such substances by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is discussed. The use of Material Safety Data Sheets to document dangers of exposure is discussed.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Material Safety Data Sheets in Health Care," by Thomas P. Fuller, published in the August 2010 issue of "Health and Safety."

The article reports that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)'s deputy assistant secretary Dorothy Dougherty has released safety guidelines for healthcare professionals to control workplace injuries. Some of the occupational injuries identified include violence, overexertion, and trips.

The article discusses the implication of addiction as an occupational hazard in nursing in the U.S. Nurses are especially vulnerable to addiction to prescription drugs because of work-related stress and easy access to drugs. They have reported a higher rate of a family history of alcoholism than other groups of health care professionals.