Impact of Clinical Pharmacist-Led Educational Intervention on Nursing Practice of Intravenous Chemotherapy Administration: A Quasi-Experimental Design

Marwa Nasraldeen Mohammed Ali; Fadya Yaqoob Al-Hamadani

doi:10.54133/ajms.v9i1.2277

Authors

Marwa Nasraldeen Mohammed Ali Kirkuk Oncology and Hematology Center, Kirkuk Health Directorate, Kirkuk, Iraq https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0305-0104
Fadya Yaqoob Al-Hamadani Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-8998

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54133/ajms.v9i1.2277

Keywords:

Cancer chemotherapy, Clinical pharmacist-led intervention, Intravenous administration, Nurses, Practice

Abstract

Background: Intravenous chemotherapy administration is a procedure with considerable risk, inherently associated with the potential for substantial medication errors. Nurses play a pivotal role in this procedure, and having sufficient knowledge and practice is vital for ensuring patient safety. Objective: To evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacists' educational interventions regarding intravenous chemotherapy administration practice. Methods: A quasi-experimental, pre-post-test study was conducted at Kirkuk Oncology and Hematology Center and Oncology Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. A convenience sample of 50 nurses responsible for intravenous chemotherapy administration participated. The intervention consisted of educational sessions by a clinical pharmacist, covering essential aspects of safe intravenous chemotherapy administration. The baseline knowledge evaluation was done using a self-administered questionnaire, followed by the educational intervention, and then the practice evaluation phase. Results: Before chemotherapy, nurses failed to follow the recommended practices in 79% of observed instances (2,605 out of 3,300). This indicates a significant lack of adherence to the 22 pre-chemotherapy checklist items. Conversely, nurses were highly compliant with procedures during chemotherapy administration, with only 10.67% failing to follow proper protocol. After chemotherapy, the rate of non-compliance was extremely high. Nurses did not follow the proper procedures in most observed opportunities, with a non-compliance rate of 99.89%. This trend was observed across the 12 post-chemotherapy practice items. There was no significant association between nurse characteristics and practices after the administration of chemotherapy. Conclusions: Clinical pharmacists' educational interventions can enhance nurses' knowledge and practice in administering intravenous chemotherapy.

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