Abstract
Due to their adverse effects, antineoplastic drugs (cancer chemotherapy drugs) are considered as a potential health risk for nurses and nursing assistants. The aim of this study was to review and summarise information about acute side effects of antineoplastic drugs in two major cancer centres in Latvia. In total 51 nurses and nursing assistants participated in the study, all working in chemotherapy ward at least for 12 months. The research was conducted in Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital and Riga East University Hospital, Oncology Centre of Latvia. 56.86% of respondents reported at least one side effect since working in the department of chemotherapy (DC). Headache was the most common acute side effect (37.25%), followed by irritation of eyes (25.49%) and irritation of skin (19. 60%). Headache (p = 0.021), dizziness (p = 0.018), irritation of mouth and throat (p = 0.043), and irritation of eyes (p = 0.004) had statistically significant positive association with years of working in DC, suggesting that those working for longer time in DC are more likely to have headache, dizziness, irritation of mouth, throat and eyes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 325-329 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Section B: Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2016 |
Keywords*
- acute side effects
- antineoplastic drugs
- hazardous drugs
- health professionals
- occupational exposure
Field of Science*
- 3.3 Health sciences
Publication Type*
- 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database
