Use of safe handling precautions and evaluation of the effect of antineoplastic drugs in healthcare workers handling antineoplastic drugs

The aim of the study is to determine the use of safe handling precautions in healthcare workers handling antineoplastic drugs and to evaluate the state of being affected by antineoplastic drugs with the Comet Test method in healthcare workers who are in constant contact with these drugs. 40 healthcare workers handling antineoplastic drugs in a university hospital for at least a year constituted the case group; 40 healthy individuals, who matched these cases in terms of age, gender and smoking status and were not exposed to chemotherapeutics, constituted the control group. DNA damage, in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the case and control groups were investigated with the "Comet" technique (alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis). Three parameters, tail% DNA, tail moment and olive tail moment, were used to evaluate DNA damage. Chemotherapy Handling Questionnaire and The Factors Predicting Use of Hazardous Drug Safe-Handling Precautions model developed by Polovich and Clark were used to evaluate the use of safe handling precautions in healthcare workers. There was a significant difference between the case and control groups in terms of DNA damage; In the case group exposed to antineoplastic drugs, tail % DNA and tail moment values were higher than the control group and the difference between them was statistically significant (respectively p<0,001, p<0,05). While working with antineoplastic drugs, healthcare workers using gloves from protective measures were found to have significantly lower tail % DNA values than those who did not use them (p<0,05). In addition, health workers using double gloves, protective gowns and goggles were at a lower level for all three parameters than those who did not use, but the difference between them was not significant. Use of gloves was high for all antineoplastic drugs handling activities (%80,0) but gown, double gloves, eye protection, and respiratory protection use was low. Exposure knowledge was highest (M=11,0± 1,07, 0-12 scale) during antineoplastic drugs administration but total mean antineoplastic drugs precaution use was the lowest (M=1,17±0,57, 0=never to 5 =100%) (p<0,001). To conclude, DNA damage is at detectable levels in healthcare workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs occupationally. Reducing or eliminating exposures that cause DNA damage is possible by following the recommendations for safe use of drugs. Key words: Healthcare workers, antineoplastic drugs, safe handling, DNA damage, Comet assay