Open AccessPerception of risk of exposure in the management of hazardous drugs in home hospitalization and hospital units
Author(s) -
Mari A Bernabeu-Martínez,
Julia Sánchez-Tormo,
Pedro García-Salom,
Javier Sanz-Valero,
Carmina Wanden-Berghe
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0253909
Subject(s) - hazardous waste , medicine , emergency medicine , medical emergency , medline , environmental health , chemistry , engineering , waste management , biochemistry
Objective To assess the perception of risk of exposure in the management of hazardous drugs (HDs) through home hospitalization and hospital units. Material and methods A questionnaire was released, at the national level, to health professionals with HD management expertise. Questionnaire included 21 questions that were scored using a Likert scale: 0 (null probability) to 4 (very high probability). The internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire were calculated using Cronbach’s alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient, respectively. Results 144 questionnaires (response rate 70.2%) were obtained: 65 (45.1%) were nurses, 42 (28.9%) occupational physicians, and 37 (26.1%) were pharmacists. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.93, and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.94 (95% CI 0.91–0.97; p-value < 0.001). The mean probability was 1.95 ± 1.02 (median 1.9; minimum: 0.05; 1st quartile 1.1; 3rd quartile 2.6; and maximum 4). Differences were observed in scoring among professional groups (occupational physicians versus nurses (1.6/2.1, p = 0.044); pharmacists versus nurses (1.7/2.1, p = 0.05); and occupational physicians versus pharmacists (1.6/1.7, p = 0.785), due mainly to the administration stage (p = 0.015). Conclusions The perception of risk of exposure was moderate, being higher for nurses. It would be advisable to integrate HDs into a standardized management system (risk management model applicable to any healthcare center) to improve the safety of health professionals.