Over the past 20 years, an international consortium of specialists in occupational health content, hospital pharmacy and oncology nursing has been dedicated to keeping us up to date on (evidence-based) recommendations for safe practices regarding the transport, storage, handling, administration and disposal of dangerous drugs (OSHA 1999; ISOPP 2007; Polovich 2011; ASHP 2006; NIOSH 2004).
All of these documents culminate in controls that the oncology service needs to keep updated to add: (1) engineering solutions to physically isolate workers from exposure to dangerous drugs; (2) administrative controls and work practices that further minimize contact with dangerous drugs through a designated work organization, specialized training of workers and specific methods used to perform work tasks; and (3) use of personal protective equipment and clothing, to minimize the risk of the medication coming into contact with the skin or with the respiratory tract.
The PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) described in NR-6, a regulatory standard, specifies what items a worker needs to use to make work safe. Reinforcing oncology, according to the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), the apron must be classified to withstand chemotherapy.
As we know, occupational exposure to cytotoxic agents can result in damage to the health of the workers who handle them, whether in the manufacture, handling, preparation, storage, administration, transport or disposal of these drugs. Even the USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs - Handling in Healthcare Setting, from 2019, specifies that professionals in the following functions need to make use of tested chemotherapy aprons: receipt, stock, transport, pharmacy (sterile and non-sterile), spill control, drug administration (disabling access), cleaning and waste disposal.
Based on international recommendations, BMR Medical launches the OncoSafe® Disposable Hospital Apron for Chemotherapy, Sterile and Non-Sterile, tested to add safety to professionals who will handle chemotherapy. For CEO Rafael Martinelli de Oliveira, OncoSafe® Apron will fill an important gap in the market to ensure more safety for oncology professionals.
