Gambaran safe handling obat kemoterapi oral

Abstract

Background: The use of oral chemotherapy is on the rise. The majority of patients and caregivers pay insufficient attention to standards for the protection, storage, handling, and disposal of medications, as well as patient elimination, which can lead to exposure to hazardous chemical residues for themselves, their families, and the environment.

Purpose: To determine the current status of safe handling of oral chemotherapy medication.

Method: This quantitative, cross-sectional study using a survey method was conducted from September 2024 to February 2025 at Arifin Achmad Regional General Hospital in Riau. Total sampling was used, with a sample size of 36 participants. The independent variable in this study was safe handling, while the dependent variable was oral chemotherapy medication.

Results: The median age of the respondents was 50 years; they had been undergoing oral chemotherapy for 4 months; the majority had a high school education (50%), were female (75%), and had been diagnosed with breast cancer (72.2%). The practice of safe handling of oral chemotherapy was still suboptimal, particularly in several aspects such as personal protection (77.8% of patients did not wash their hands with soap before and after taking oral chemotherapy medication); medication storage was fairly good (63.9% of respondents stored the medication away from extreme heat, cold, and humidity); medication management was fairly good (86.1% of respondents took their oral chemotherapy medication on time). Data analysis was performed using univariate analysis in the form of frequency distributions. Medication waste disposal remains unsafe (55.6% do not dispose of chemotherapy waste separately from other trash), and the disposal of feces and urine does not meet standards (80.6% of respondents do not use a separate toilet from other family members).

Concluision: Practices regarding the safe handling of oral chemotherapy drugs indicate that personal protection measures are still not optimal, particularly regarding the habit of washing hands with soap and running water. Medicine storage and handling practices are generally quite good, especially in maintaining proper storage conditions and ensuring medications are taken on time. Practices regarding the disposal of medication waste and the management of fecal and urinary elimination are still suboptimal, as evidenced by the fact that most patients do not dispose of medication waste separately and do not use a separate toilet from other family members.

Keywords: Cancer; Oral Chemotherapy; Safe Handling.