TY - JOUR
T1 - Patients’ knowledge and awareness of safe handling of oral anticancer agents at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Oman
AU - Hassan, Moataz M.
AU - Al-Marzooq, Dhabya
AU - Al-Habsi, Hanan
AU - Al-Hashar, Amna
AU - Al-Khabori, Murtadha
AU - Al-Moundhri, Mansour
AU - Al-Zakwani, Ibrahim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2021/11/18
Y1 - 2021/11/18
N2 - BACKGROUND: Safe handling of oral anticancer agents is of great concern. There is a lack of clear, national guidelines on how patients can safely handle and dispose of unwanted medications. We aimed to evaluate the safe handling, storage, and disposal of oral anticancer drugs among cancer patients and caregivers at home.METHOD: This cross-sectional survey of adult cancer patients (or their adult caregivers) used a closed-ended questionnaire from May 2019 to March 2020.RESULTS: A total of 257 patients (50 ± 15 years; range: 18-93 years) were enrolled; however, only 91% (233/257) reported self-administering oral anticancer medications. Caregivers were more likely to administer oral anticancer agents for patients ≥60 years than those <40 years old (63%
vs. 8%;
P = 0.001). Most patients (52%; 133/257) did not wash their hands after administering the drug; 74% (164/222) of the respondents reported that their medications were kept in a bedroom cabinet, while 18% (40/222) stored their medications in a refrigerator, and 5% (12/222) in a kitchen cabinet. A total of 55% (68/124) of patients returned their excess oral chemotherapy medications to the hospitals; however, 36% (45/124) disposed of their unused oral chemotherapy drugs in a household garbage container.
CONCLUSION: While two-thirds of patients stored their oral anticancer medications properly, more than half used inappropriate handling procedures. Disposal practices were inconsistent and did not adhere to the reported international guidelines.
AB - BACKGROUND: Safe handling of oral anticancer agents is of great concern. There is a lack of clear, national guidelines on how patients can safely handle and dispose of unwanted medications. We aimed to evaluate the safe handling, storage, and disposal of oral anticancer drugs among cancer patients and caregivers at home.METHOD: This cross-sectional survey of adult cancer patients (or their adult caregivers) used a closed-ended questionnaire from May 2019 to March 2020.RESULTS: A total of 257 patients (50 ± 15 years; range: 18-93 years) were enrolled; however, only 91% (233/257) reported self-administering oral anticancer medications. Caregivers were more likely to administer oral anticancer agents for patients ≥60 years than those <40 years old (63%
vs. 8%;
P = 0.001). Most patients (52%; 133/257) did not wash their hands after administering the drug; 74% (164/222) of the respondents reported that their medications were kept in a bedroom cabinet, while 18% (40/222) stored their medications in a refrigerator, and 5% (12/222) in a kitchen cabinet. A total of 55% (68/124) of patients returned their excess oral chemotherapy medications to the hospitals; however, 36% (45/124) disposed of their unused oral chemotherapy drugs in a household garbage container.
CONCLUSION: While two-thirds of patients stored their oral anticancer medications properly, more than half used inappropriate handling procedures. Disposal practices were inconsistent and did not adhere to the reported international guidelines.
KW - Antineoplastic agents
KW - caregivers
KW - drug storage
KW - medical waste disposal
KW - self-administration
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Humans
KW - Hospitals, University
KW - Antineoplastic Agents
KW - Neoplasms/drug therapy
KW - Patients
KW - Adult
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
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U2 - 10.1177/10781552211056238
DO - 10.1177/10781552211056238
M3 - Article
C2 - 34791932
AN - SCOPUS:85119404393
SN - 1078-1552
VL - 29
SP - 112
EP - 118
JO - Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice
JF - Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice
IS - 1
ER -