Experiencias del personal de enfermería en el manejo de quimioterapéuticos

Abstract

Introduction: chemotherapy administration is a complex task that has some security problems; therefore, it is necessary to reinforce strategies and interventions in the nursing staff in order to avoid secondary and opposite events related with its management. Objective: to distinguish nursing staff experiences in the administration of chemotherapy drugs. Method: the study is a mixed exploratory, sequential design, with the first stage being a quantitative crosssectional study and the second being a qualitative exploratory approach. Participants were 30 nurses which work in 6 different institutions from public and private of Ecuador. These institutions provide a health service in some areas as: oncology and hematology. They are located in the following 3 Ecuador’s provinces: Pichincha (3 health centers), Ambato (1 health center), Chimborazo (1 health center) and Guayas (1 health center) Results: the nurses’ age was from 32 to 36 years old whereas the experience in the oncology area was 3 years. Around of 66,7 % of them had information about secondary events management and protocols’ administration in Chemotherapy in their institutions. Control of catheter in continuous and intermittent infusions prior to administration (33,7 %), post-drug administration measures such as vein lavage (100 %) and extravasation management (66,7 %). 13,3 % of nurses showed that have got training sessions for administration Chemotherapy drugs. The qualitative research project indicated that the worst experience is to manage an infiltration. Conclusions: in summary, nursing staff must be highly specialized in the administration of chemotherapy drugs during the treatment and prevention of derived diseases. The majority of respondents indicate a high level of knowledge based on their experience; however, it is critical that institutional protocol training and socialization increase to avoid patient issues.