Table 3.
Safe Handling Practices of CD* Among Oncology Nurses at Tertiary Teaching Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| Variable | Always | Sometimes | Never |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |
| Nurses wear protective clothing’s during exposure to CDs | 43 (55.8) | 31 (40.3) | 3 (3.9) |
| Nurses take safety precautions during handling CDs | 40 (51.9) | 31 (40.3) | 6 (7.8) |
| Nurses prepare CDs in vertical safety cabinet | 42 (54.5) | 21 (27.3) | 14 (18.2) |
| Nurses wear protective clothes while changing IV fluids’ containing CDs | 19 (24.6) | 34 (44.2) | 24 (31.2) |
| Nurses use needles as venting devices in IV bottle | 23 (29.8) | 27 (35.1) | 27 (35.1) |
| Nurses use disposable syringe with Luer-lock to prepare and administer CDs | 8 (10.4) | 14 (18.2) | 55 (71.4) |
| Nurses teach patient/visitors about the safe handling of body wastage of patient’s receiving CDs | 32 (41.6) | 39 (50.6) | 6 (7.8) |
| Nurses dispose contaminated needles in puncture proof container | 47 (61.0) | 19 (24.7) | 11 (14.3) |
| Nurses guide ward attendants in taking safety precaution while collecting hazardous wastes of CDs | 32 (41.6) | 29 (37.7) | 16 (20.7) |
| Nurses store hazardous CDs in a covered container | 23 (29.9) | 26 (33.8) | 28 (36.3) |
| Persons collecting hazardous wastes take precautions while transferring wastes from ward to incineration | 27 (35.1) | 33 (42.9) | 17 (22.1) |
| Nurses prepare CDs in nursing station | 13 (16.9) | 9 (11.7) | 55 (71.4) |
| Nurses prepare CDs at patient’s bedside | 8 (10.3) | 13 (16.9) | 56 (72.7) |
| Nurses drink coffee at CDs’ preparation area | 2 (2.6) | 6 (7.8) | 69 (89.6) |
| Nurses expel air from syringes’ containing CDs in an open area | 17 (22.1) | 18 (23.4) | 42 (54.5) |
| Nurses transfer prepared CDs from one place to another with bare-hand | 8 (10.4) | 17 (22.1) | 52 (67.5) |
| Nurses wipe out small spills on the skin with tissue paper immediately | 20 (26.0) | 33 (42.9) | 24 (31.2) |
| Nurses use a damp cloth for managing spillage of powder from CDs | 8 (10.4) | 33 (42.9) | 36 (46.7) |
| Nurses store hazardous drug’s wastes together with other wastes | 23 (29.9) | 19 (24.7) | 35 (45.4) |
| Hazardous wastes of CDs are disposed of through incineration | 8 (10.4) | 18 (23.4) | 51 (66.2) |
Notes: *Cytotoxic drug; N stands for frequency and % for percentage.