Knowledge of safe handling, administration, and waste management of chemotherapeutic drugs among oncology nurses working at Khartoum Oncology Hospital, Sudan

Abstract

Introduction. Knowledge of chemotherapeutic drug (CD) handling, administration, and waste disposal are important among nurses involved in cancer therapy. Inadequate knowledge of the management of CD could cause environmental contamination and potential harm to patients and nurses. To assess the knowledge of safe handling, administration, and waste management of CD among oncology nurses working at Khartoum Oncology Hospital, Sudan. Methods. A questionnaire was developed by a team of experts to assess the knowledge in three domains of oncology nursing practice (handling, administration, and disposal). The study involved 78 oncology nurses working in Khartoum Oncology Hospital in Sudan from April 2020. Results. The mean CD knowledge score of nurses was 12.7 ± 3.9 out of 26 items in the questionnaire. For each domain, their knowledge showed poor scores related to safe handling (mean = 2.0 ± 1.5 out of eight knowledge items) and good scores for administration (mean = 6.2 ± 1.7 out of 10) and poor scores for waste disposal (mean = 4.4 ± 1.5 out of eight). Simple linear regression indicated that education level (β = 3.715, p = .008) and training (β = 0.969, p = .004) significantly predicted knowledge among nurses. Conclusion. There is a significant need to enhance the knowledge and safe handling skills of CD among oncology nurses in Sudan. Implementation of strict guidelines to manage cytotoxic waste to reduce health risks and hospital contamination.