Episode 209: Updates in Chemo PPE and Safe Handling

Hazardous drugs are not just used in oncology, and their health risks for providers go far beyond reproductive toxicities. ONS member MiKaela Olsen, DNP, APRN-CNS, AOCNS®, FAAN, clinical program director in oncology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore, MD, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, about protecting yourself and your colleagues with the latest updates in hazardous drug safety, including a change for the process of doffing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by May 20, 2024. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of NCPD by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Episode Notes

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• ONS book: Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs (third edition)
• ONS book: Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice
• ONS/ONCC Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Certificate Course (where you’ll find the PPE doffing video)
• ONS course: Fundamentals of Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Administration
• ONS course: Safe Handling Basics
• ONS joint position statement with the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association: Ensuring Healthcare Worker Safety When Handling Hazardous Drugs
• ONS Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs Learning Library
• Consensus statements from the 2020 Safe to Touch Consensus Conference on Hazardous Drug Surface Contamination
• ONS video: Risk of handling hazardous drugs while pregnant
• ONS Voice article: What Is ONS’s Stance on Handling Chemotherapy While Pregnant, Breastfeeding, or Trying to Conceive?
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) list of hazardous drugs
• USP Chapter 800: Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings

To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org.