Abstract
Background: The health risks posed to health care workers (HCW) handling antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs (HDs) are well established. However, despite nearly 20 years of professional practice standards, compliance with safe handling procedures is poor. Method: We present documentation of undercompliance with recommended safety procedures for HDs. Then, we examine a similar problem, HCW compliance with blood-borne pathogen universal precautions (UP) and its partial solution tied to the strength of a facility's safety culture. Lessons learned here may be applicable to the HD issue. Results: It is proposed that analyzing a facility's safety culture may enlarge our understanding of the barriers contributing to HD under-compliance and suggest strategies to improve it. Conclusion: The Safety Culture paradigm offers many targets for intervention to enhance and promote worker compliance with safe HD handling practices thus mitigating internal exposure.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 740-749 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine |
Volume | 47 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis