Antineoplastic agents and the use of personal protective equipment: nursing staff awareness

. Along with an increasing number of cancer patients, the need for cytostatic drugs is also increasing. Nursing staff are the largest professional group exposed to the potential dangers of these substances. Aim of the study. Assess the awareness of nursing staff who have direct contact with cytostatic drugs in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).Material and methods. The research group consisted of 101 nurses routinely exposed to cytostatic drugs. A diagnostic survey and questionnaire technique were used along with the author’s original questionnaire.Results. Of the respondents, 58.42% (n=59) never used protective shoes while dealing with cytostatics, while 53.4% (n=54) never used long-sleeved, waterproof uniforms; 49.50% (n=50) did not apply half masks, and 34.65% (n=35) failed to protect their eyes with protective glasses. The most common cause of not using the protective equipment was identified as lack of time (72; 71.29%). Deficiency of training on protective measures while working with hazardous cytostatics was cited by 37.62% (n=38) as the reason for their behavior, while almost 22% of them claimed that their employer did not provide them with a sufficient amount of protective equipment for individual use. The older, more experienced and higher-educated the staff, the higher awareness among them about the need for using PPE. Conclusions. Higher-educated and more experienced nursing staff should constitute the source of ‘good practices’ and educate younger undergraduate colleagues theoretically and practically. Employers and management staff should provide employees with more training on the correct application of protective measures and increase the intensity of control of the use of personal protective equipment.