Amy Callahan on Barriers to Safe Handling

Amy Callahan, RN, DNP, CRNP, AOCNS, nurse manager, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, discusses barriers to safe handling of chemotoxic materials.

Callahan says that a significant barrier to safe handling is having personal protective equipment (PPE) out of reach. Especially at high-volume clinics where nurses are covering multiple chemotherapeutic agents and treatments, they may have trouble donning PPE if it’s not conveniently accessible. Callahan adds that nurses are more likely to protect the patient before protecting themselves.

Another important factor for safe handling, Callahan says, is adequate staffing and having an appropriate patient-to-nurse ratio.