OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE PREVENTION: RECOMMENDATIONS OF ATTENTION TO ONCOLOGIC PATIENT
Elisangela da Costa Lima Dellamora; Fernanda Kengen Vasconcelos Leon de Oliveira

Manipulation and administration of cytotoxic drugs in health services expose patients and Health professionals to chemical risks. In Brazil, knowledge about the subject is at early stage, mainly considering the latest publications in nursing area as well as legislation on the issue. The purpose of this study was to draw up a bulletin from bibliographic review about cytotoxic drugs regarding their excretion, at a highly complex teaching hospital, in order to prevent occupational exposure in hospital care.

Results have been found, but they were not conclusive in all situations, showing that literature on pharmacokinetic data is still incomplete. Even though this limitation, it was possible to arrange the results by means of the medicine’s brazilian common denomination, substance classification, therapeutic schemes in which drug is used and excretion rates of cytotoxic metabolites and unchanged drug. From this information, it was established a certain time (in hours) for the use of individual protection equipment by the medical staff in charge of bed care. Constant caution has been suggested up to ten (10) days after ending those drugs administration to prevent professionals at hospital environment of any kind of indirect contamination by the patients’ excretions.

Descriptors: occupational exposure, pharmaceutical services, oncology