US Pharm. 2009;34(11)(Oncology suppl):14.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Oncology Nursing Society released the first national standards for safe administration of chemotherapy drugs. The policies seek to serve as a benchmark for providers of adult cancer care and encourage them to evaluate their current standards. The associations developed the standards to reduce the risk of errors and provide a framework for best practices.More than 60% of people diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy at some point during their treatment. Nevertheless, there are few national standards for patient safety. “Administration of chemotherapy is a complex process, and safety challenges will only grow as the number and complexity of chemotherapeutic regimens increases and oral chemotherapy drugs become more commonplace,” said Joseph Jacobson, MD, lead author of the Journal of Clinical Oncology article highlighting the standards and immediate past chair of ASCO’s Quality of Care Committee.
