Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs by Closed System Drug Transfer Devices
Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs by Closed System Drug Transfer Devices
Several healthcare organizations have designed closed system drug transfer devices for the safe handling of hazardous drugs in their workplaces. These designed safety equipments are first reviewed and validated with the specified specifications of closed systems as established by international healthcare units and national occupational safety systems. This in turn helps to select the best suited equipments to carry out numerous drug related activities and hence produce efficient results in the reduction of healthcare exposures to these hazardous chemical substances.
Healthcare workers and other professionals may get exposed to perilous drugs due to inhalation of medicine vapors and aerosols, direct skin absorptions and through ingestion when they come in contact with the disinfected food stuffs. The hazardous chemicals such as antineoplastic and cytotoxic agents are liberated out when drugs are used in several treatment techniques. Their manufacture itself is a potential source of exposure for staffs engaged in the drug manufacturing industries.
The process of crushing the tablets, withdrawing needles from drug vials, transferring drugs with syringes and handling open ampoules etc involves risks of exposures. These chemicals may produce immediate and long term health effects not only in workers handling them but also results in the contamination of surrounding areas and thus affecting several other lives. Administration of workers with contaminated devices and equipments are other routes of drug exposure.
Many healthcare units put forward the use of closed systems for carrying out several drug handling process. According to their definition, a closed system should be air tight and leak-proof. It should incorporate designs to prohibit both the escape of drug into the environment and transfer of surrounding contaminants into the system. There are several closed system drug transfer devices which can effectively address the risks of exposures.