Authors (including presenting author) :
Cheung SC(1), Chan WS(1), Lam PYW(1), Wong MC(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Clinical Oncology, Tuen Mun Hospital
Introduction :
Oral administration is one of the common route of anti-cancer treatment. There are increasing number of patients taking a variety of oral systemic anti-cancer treatment. Although medication administration via oral route is more convenient than other routes, medication safety and staff occupational safety should also be alerted when handling the drugs. Therefore, a step-by-step workflow for handling oral systemic anti-cancer treatment in TMH Oncology Ward was designed.
Objectives :
• To strengthen nurses’ familiarity of handling oral systemic anti-cancer treatment in oncology ward.
• To outline and standardize the actions involved in receiving, administering and returning of the oral systemic anti-cancer treatment in oncology ward.
• To provide a quick reference for safety handling the oral systemic anti-cancer treatment in oncology ward.
Methodology :
1. A detailed workflow was designed in August 2020, covering from checking prescription to receiving, administering, and returning drug.
2. A pre-training survey was conducted in September 2020 to assess nurses’ competency in handling oral systemic anti-cancer treatment in ward.
3. A sharing session was conducted in October 2020 to introduce the workflow to nurses, and it was printed and kept in nurse station for colleagues as quick reference.
4. A post-training survey was conducted in November 2020 to evaluate the effectiveness of the project.
Result & Outcome :
1. 92% (n=22) of ward nurse responded to the pre- & post-training survey at that time point.
2. For subjective measurement, the colleagues generally felt more confident on handling the drug after the training session, their average confident level was increased from 3.12 to 4.08 in a scale of 1-5 (1: not confident; 5: very confident)
3. For objective measurement, there was a sharp rise of correct answering rate of the MCQs in the post-training survey, from 58% to 92%. Also, a compliance rate of >90% was observed in spot-checking and retrospective documentation audits.
4. Overall, this enhancement project could equip oncology ward nurses with clearer understanding and familiarity of proper handling procedure. Hence, the occupational safety of the related healthcare workers, and the medication safety of the patients could be safeguarded and promoted.
5. The workflow is continued adopting in clinical area especially for new comers and be part of the reference document in local preceptorship program.
