A Pre and Post Test Assessment of a Web Based Tutorial to Reduce Occupational Exposure Risks to Oncology Nurses

The purpose of this project was to offer new knowledge through educational training to oncology nurses highlighting health risks related to inconsistent handling of hazardous drugs. Nurses who administer chemotherapy are exposed to aerosols and droplets of drugs during compound mixing, administration and disposal. As a result of exposure, oncology nursing poses many occupational risks. Precautions for safe handling have been available for over two decades; however there is evidence showing continued occupational exposure related to lack of education. By educating nurses on the safe handling of these drugs, workplace safety can be improved, significantly reducing their exposure risks and minimizing future adverse effects among these nurses. This project focused on piloting a safe handling web-based course with pre-test/post-test evaluations to oncology nurses who are members of the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) in the state of Oregon. The objectives for this project were: 1) Develop and implement a web-based learning tutorial regarding safe handling of hazardous drugs; 2) Develop and implement a pre-test and post-test to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based tutorial to increase the awareness of safe handling practices among oncology nurses; 3) Present results of research in poster presentation at the 38th Annual ONS Congress Conference on April 25-28, 2013 in Washington, DC; and 4) Disseminate this tutorial through the Oncology Nursing Society as a web-based CEU course potentially reaching 37,000 national members. This project focused on the development of a web-based tutorial and a two-part survey. After Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, the program was distributed to 389 registered nurses affiliated with ONS. Concentration focused on elements most often overlooked in safe handling practices. Key findings of the pre- and post-test included the misconception that the outside of packaging material is safe from hazardous drug. Another key finding was a high percentage of nurses could not correctly identify appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in regards to safe handling. Both of these findings showed marked improvement in the post-test, highlighting the effectiveness of the web-based tutorial in increasing the awareness of safe handling practices among the Beta group.