Current evidence of education and safety requirements for the nursing administration of chemotherapy: An integrative review

• Published in: European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society Vol. 41; pp. 24 - 32
• Main Authors: Coyne, Elisabeth, Northfield, Sarah, Ash, Kylie, Brown-West, Leisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2019
• Subjects: Chemotherapy; Education; Integrative review; Nursing; safety; Integrative review; Chemotherapy; Nursing; Education; safety
• ISSN: 1462-3889; 1532-2122
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2019.05.001

The administration of chemotherapy is a complex task which has many safety issues. Safe administration of chemotherapy by nurses should be evidence-based. The aim of this integrative review was to synthesise the evidence about education and practice requirements for safe administration of chemotherapy by nurses. A systematic search of four databases identified 17 studies for inclusion in this review. Key words: Nurse, chemotherapy, cytotoxic drug, administration, safety, education. Data extracted from the studies included author, year, aims, design, sample, outcome measures and findings. After screening the articles, extracting study data and completing a summary table, critical appraisal of the studies was completed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). All the studies focused on strategies to promote patient and nurse safety during nursing administration of chemotherapy. Content analysis identified five themes: governance, process safeguards, communication, interdisciplinary collaboration and education. Key strategies or interventions that increased patient and/or nurse safety identified were standardised computer-generated chemotherapy orders, barcodes, medication safety procedures, education and simulated learning. This review found low-level evidence exists about the education and safety requirements for nursing administration of chemotherapy. High-level research is needed to assist healthcare services to select evidence-based educational and safety strategies and provide appropriately resourced work environments to support the safe nursing administration of chemotherapy and deliver the best possible patient outcomes. •Nurses are in a key position to influence health service culture promoting system changes in communication and safety.•Standard chemotherapy protocols with unique patient barcodes reduced drug errors.•Nurse and patient education increased both patient and nurse safety.•Simulation was an innovative educational strategy which builds capacity in nurses to administer chemotherapy safely.