Becton, Dickinson Sponsoring Safe Handling Webinar
The free, CE accredited webinar on April 20 is sponsored by Becton, Dickinson and features experts from Illinois, Washington state, and Texas.
A free webinar on April 20 will discuss safe handling of chemotherapy and other hazardous drugs, some of which can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, allergic reactions, and other adverse effects that can be irreversible even after low-level exposure, according to Becton, Dickinson and Company, which is sponsoring the webinar. It says many health care workers are not aware of the risks when performing tasks such as connecting syringes to injection ports, transferring drugs between containers, and spiking IV containers, despite guidelines issued by OSHA, NIOSH, and other authorities.
For example, a recent University of Michigan study reported 17 percent of more than 1,300 nurses surveyed from 100 outpatient chemotherapy infusion centers reported skin or eye exposure to chemotherapy in the previous year. Two studies investigating the toxicity in health care personnel who handle cytoxic (hazardous) drugs revealed a 40-50 percent increased risk for miscarriage, according to the company.
The webinar coincides with Safe Handling Awareness Month (April) and Safe Handling Awareness Day (April 20), which began in 2009 to raise awareness of the risks. It will cover NIOSH guidelines, potential consequences of exposure, protective measures, the benefits of closed-system transfer devices, and implementing ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards. It will take place at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. EST, with a live Q&A following both air times, and an archived audio recording will be available on demand afterward.
The presenters are:
- E. Thomas Carey, PharmD, director of Pharmacy Services for SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, Ill.
- Seth Eisenberg, RN, OCN, professional practice coordinator, Infusion Services from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, Wash.
- Millie Toth, MS, RN, AOCN, senior nurse instructor, Nursing Professional Development and Education MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
To register, visit www.bd.com/shad or www.statce.com/SHAD2012.