Implementation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Oncology Nursing Society Chemotherapy Safety Standards

Chemotherapy involves an intricate, high-risk, multidisciplinary process of prescribing, dispensing, and administering complex multimedication regimens with narrow therapeutic indices. Chemotherapeutic agents also require safe-handling precautions for patients and healthcare providers. In addition, a number of chemotherapy and targeted therapies have expanded to nononcology populations. This complexity demands standardization of chemotherapy practice for all healthcare providers to ensure safe outcomes. This article describes one organization's multidisciplinary effort to standardize chemotherapy practice according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Oncology Nursing Society's 31 safety standards for chemotherapy administration. The article also describes how the organization integrated and developed standards of practice using interdisciplinary approaches. The educational processes used during implementation and the lessons learned are discussed to assist healthcare providers involved in standardizing chemotherapy administration. The article equips healthcare professionals with a multidisciplinary process for high-quality clinical standards of practice that may reduce errors and ensure safety.