Effectiveness of structured teaching program on knowledge and practices regarding handling of chemotherapeutic drugs among the staff nurses

Cancer therapy is broadly based upon the use of chemotherapeutic drugs with strong anti-cancer cytotoxic effects. In order to minimize occupational exposure to chemotherapeutic cytotoxic drugs, special department design and equipment are necessary as well as personal protective measures and safety practices during all procedures involving the use of these agents, such as transportation ,storage, preparation, reconstitution, administration and care of patients and finally disposal. A Quasi Experimental approach will be applied and the study will include 60 staff nurses selected by Systematic Random Sampling, from Mohan Dai Oswal hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab. Structured teaching program will be prepared and conducted on knowledge and practices regarding handling and safety measures of chemotherapy drugs. It will be evaluated by structured questionnaire method after 7days of the teaching .The findings depicts that in experimental group, pre-posttest knowledge mean scores was 18.8 and 28.9 which was higher than control group, pre-posttest knowledge scores mean i.e.17.4 and 21.6. Hence it concluded that difference in post-test knowledge score of control group was found significant i.e. ‘t’ 7.06, due to test-retest method effect and difference in post test knowledge score of experimental group was found to be highly significant i.e. ‘t’ 12.2, hence structure teaching program had made the impact to increase the knowledge of experimental group.Practices was assessed with the help of observational checklist. The findings depicts that in control group pre-post observation scores i.e. 15.5 and 15.7 was less than the experimental group pre-post observation scores i.e. 15.9 and 16.2 respectively. Even though mean differences were increased in both control and experimental group while calculating the statistical differences was found non-significant in both control and experimental groups and findings also depicts that practices scores were 100% unsatisfactory in pre-post observation in control and experimental groups. Hence experimental group practices were not improved after structured teaching program.