Nursing Assistants' Use of Personal Protective Equipment Regarding Contact With Excreta Contaminated With Antineoplastic Drugs.
AnnMarie L Walton, Shawn Kneipp, Laura Linnan and 4 others
PMID 31626622WHAT IT FOUND
Nursing assistants on an oncology unit inconsistently used personal protective equipment when handling chemotherapy-contaminated waste, often overreporting their own safety practices.
They relied heavily on door signs to identify at-risk patients, but those signs were missing or inaccurate in many cases.
Key findings
01Nursing assistants did not consistently use double gloves, nonabsorbent gowns, or face shields when handling antineoplastic drug-contaminated excreta, and handwashing after glove removal occurred in only 28 of 56 observed instances.
02Self-reported use of double gloves and plastic-backed pads was significantly higher than what researchers actually observed during work shifts.
03Chemotherapy precaution signs were absent from the doors of 29% of patients believed to be on precautions, and nursing assistants reported relying on these signs to know who was receiving treatment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted on a single inpatient oncology unit at one academic medical center, limiting generalizability. Participants were predominantly female, White, and young (average age 26.6 years), with 70% currently seeking a college degree, which may not represent the broader nursing assistant workforce. The sample size was small (27 participants). Participants may have modified their behavior because they were being observed, although they reported trying to act normally. The patients in the study required limited assistance with activities of daily living, so behaviors may differ in units with more dependent patients.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, and the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the self-reported high rates of PPE use as accurate. The study found that nursing assistants significantly overreported their use of double gloves and protective pads compared to what was actually observed, meaning self-assessments of safety compliance are unreliable.