General Health Problems among Oncology Nurses Handling Antineoplastic Agents: A Comparative Study | ||
| Zagazig Nursing Journal | ||
| Article 4, Volume 9, Issue 1 - Serial Number 2013, 2013, Pages 43-55 PDF (255.22 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/znj.2013.38638 | ||
| Author | ||
| Amany Sobhy Sorour | ||
| Assistant Prof. of community health nursing, Faculty of nursing, Zagazig University | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: The antineoplastic drugs pose an occupational hazard to nurses. The General Health problems have not been addressed in the literature although they might provide early indicators for safety of nurses. Aim: to compare general health problems among oncology nurses handling antineoplastic agents and those in other departments not dealing with these hazardous exposures. Setting & sample: Retrospective study was conducted on 50 nurses in the oncology department at the nuclear medicine centre, and 50 control nurses from the departments of ophthalmology and orthopedic at El-kasr El Aini hospital. Tool: A selfadministered questionnaire covering personal data, menstrual and reproductive history, and general health problems, and assessment of exposure to antineoplastic agents in exposed nurses was used for data collection. Results: More exposed nurses suffered dysfunctional bleeding (p=0.006), and menorrhagia (p=0.005), especially with no identified causes. The Odds Ratios (ORs) ranged between 2.7 for irregularity to 7.4 for dysfunctional bleeding. They had more dysuria (p=0.03), dermatitis (p=0.01), and stomatitis (p<0.001), with ORs 2.5 to 4.9. Menstrual problems increased with the duration of exposure, with ORs 4.3 for bleeding and 16.7 for menorrhagia, and significant positive correlations. Conclusion: The study confirms the hazardous effects of nurses' occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents on general health. Recommendations: The findings corroborate the need of health education program to maintain safety measures, medical examinations for nursing staff prior to their appointment and Periodic screening for early detection of any deviations from normal, with prompt occupational health intervention. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Oncology nurse; antineoplastic; Occupational Exposure; general health problems | ||
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