Safe Handling of Hazardous Medications
Course #91380 - $15 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Hazardous medications are agents that can pose toxicities, such as organ damage and reproductive risks. Chemotherapy agents are clearly hazardous. However, other commonly encountered medications may pose hazardous risks. All healthcare professionals should have solid knowledge of potentially hazardous medications and how to properly handle them.
This course is designed for members of the healthcare team involved in receiving, handling, and administering hazardous medications.
Many medications require special handling to avoid hazardous exposure. The purpose of this course is to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely handle and administer potentially hazardous drugs.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Review the intent and focus of USP <800>.
- Discuss the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for handling hazardous medications.
- Describe recommendations for the safe receipt, handling, and administration of hazardous medications.
- Outline the appropriate steps for deactivating, decontaminating, and cleaning following hazardous medication exposure.
- Evaluate components of an effective medical surveillance program.
Latousha (Tasha) P. Jackson, PharmD, BCPS, QP503A, received her bachelor of science in biology degree from Norfolk State University. She then went on to receive her doctor of pharmacy degree from the Medical College of Virginia (Virginia Commonwealth School of Pharmacy) in 2004. After receiving her degree, she started her career in hospital pharmacy practice at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA. After several years of hospital practice, Dr. Jackson obtained board certification in pharmacotherapy. Her experiences in hospital pharmacy practice and news of the New England Compounding Center tragedy inspired a desire to shift her practice into sterile compounding and patient safety. With renewed focus and training, she relocated to North Carolina to serve as Pharmacist Administrative Coordinator – Sterile Products at the Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, NC. She also went on to earn the CriticalPoint QP503A credential. Prior to joining the CriticalPoint team, Dr. Jackson served as the Compounding and Hazardous Medication Compliance Program Manager with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Durham, NC.
Contributing faculty, Latousha (Tasha) P. Jackson, PharmD, BCPS, QP503A, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John M. Leonard, MD
Sharon Cannon, RN, EdD, ANEF
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.