Nursing is a challenging job that exposes nurses to many health hazards and other related injury risks. Over the years, nurses have been reporting different cases of work-related injuries as well as illnesses that have seemingly increased as time goes by. The daily challenges, responsibilities as well as the working environment has been exposing nurses to numerous occupational hazards, and the cases continue to raise concerns among the healthcare workers. Some of the most common health hazards that nurses are more likely to facing include chemical, physical, biological as well as psychological risks. However, the most common one that most nurses face daily is the chemicals and hazardous drugs in their working environment (Eyi & Eyi, 2020). These chemicals come in different forms and pass in the body through inhalation, digestion, or even when they come into direct contact with the skin hence causing severe damages.
Chemical Hazards in Nursing
As mentioned, the most significant challenge that a majority of nurses tend to encounter in their area of occupation is exposure to harmful chemicals. The chances of being exposed to chemical hazards are high, and therefore protective measures and precautions must be followed. Some of these chemical hazards include disinfectants, as well as sterility products, which are the most common among cases of chemical exposure, according to nurses (Elewa, & El Banan, 2016). These products include chemicals such as ethylene oxide and glutaraldehyde. Other additional drugs that also possess a chemical exposure to them include drugs used during chemotherapy as well as latex exposure. Therefore, registered nurses are required to find ways of protecting themselves and their co-workers as well as the broader community at large from these unwanted chemical exposures.
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However, the exposure does not always pose adverse effects depending on a couple of factors such as duration of exposure, amount of concentration and type of chemical and finally, personal susceptibility. These are just some of the factors that determine the extent on which the chemicals are likely to pose a danger on the nurses (Bakalis, 2019). The best way to ensure that one is not in danger is through prevention, which is one of the best ways of avoiding work-related problems caused by chemical exposure. This is because it is almost hard to avoid chemicals in the nursing environment. However, for this method to be fully effective, nurses should be educated on the risks associated with the chemicals they work with daily.
Clinical Settings
The preparation and administration of most of these chemicals, including antineoplastic agents, is done in a variety of medical settings hence increasing the danger. According to Pałaszewska-Tkacz et al. (2019), the risk, especially the one involving cytotoxic drugs, is frequent among the nurses working with them. The authors outlined some of the effects associated with these agents. These effects include carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic effects as some of the severe implications. Other possible consequences related to chemical exposure are as follows, skin irritation, eyes, and acute allergies. One of the settings on which chemical hazards usually occur is in the operating room, as well as labor and delivery and recovery rooms (Pałaszewska-Tkacz et al., 2019). Nurses are most likely to be exposed to waste anesthetic gases, which might cause and increase the risk of getting hepatic disorders and renal disorders if exposure is on a long-term basis.
On the other hand, nurses are also in the increased risk of being exposed to formaldehyde, which is mostly used in renal dialysis clinical settings (Eyi & Eyi, 2020). This agent is associated with severe health issues such as occupational asthma and eye irritation. Other clinical settings that possess great exposure of these chemicals to nurses include laboratories, intensive care units and endoscopy rooms.
Proposal to Address the Problem
Since the exposure and health risk are caused by improper handling of the chemicals and lack of knowledge, then education and training need to be offered at different intervals to reduce the risk. The need for controlling bacteria and viruses in a hospital is the primary driver for the use of chemicals to prevent nosocomial infections. Therefore, it would be advisable for hospitals to look into other available options to reduce the usage of chemicals in most clinical settings where possible. For instance, using unscented "green" cleaning agents can, in a considerable way, improve indoor air quality for the nurses as well as other occupants in the building. Additionally, it will also be cost-friendly and help in protecting the working environment. Finally, the nurse can also join hands and request a decrease in toxic chemical use, provision of safety data, safer substitutes and also play the role of ensuring adequate labelling.
Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Concerns about Chemical Hazards
In the year 2006, the American Nurses Association discovered that it was ethical to let the nurses be aware of the dangers imposed by the chemicals that they encounter daily. For this reason, the agency approved the resolution of Nursing Practice, Chemical Exposure and Right-to-Know document that offers nurses the right to be told of the dangers. Additionally, it calls for all the nurses to be educated regarding the need to be cautious and prevent potential hazards that arise from chemical use in healthcare settings (Veenema, & Corley, 2015). Another regulatory body that relates to the problem is OSHA guidelines that are put in place to ensure the safe handling of antineoplastic agents in clinical settings.
The Significance of the Problem
The reason for choosing this specific problem is because chemicals are commonly used in many clinical settings in several departments. Additionally, the risk of contracting bacterial infections and viruses is also high, and that is why chemicals are used as cleaning agents. This is a topic of interest since one may need to know how nurses survive in these harsh and risky conditions. The number of nurses who report cases of chemical exposure has been rising at an alarming rate hence making it a topic of interest and of major concern. Finally, nurses require to be offered maximum protection since they risk their lives for the benefit of the public.
Conclusion
Many are the times when people often overlook the fact that those medicines that people enjoy the privilege of getting treated with might in one way or the other pose dangers to nurses and other healthcare providers. However, since the drugs might have unintended ramifications, nurses and healthcare practitioners require education and advice regarding the threats posed by the chemicals. Generally, nurses are subjected to dangers in almost every corner of their work from the patients, physical and psychological job demands and chemicals within the working area. Therefore, knowledge regarding these dangers will be of great help, particularly in the way they handle and administer the chemicals or drugs.
References
Bakalis, N. (2019). Nursing risks from the hospital working environment. EC Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, 3 (4), 151-152. https://www.ecronicon.com/ecec/pdf/ECEC-03-00055.pdf
Elewa, A. H., & El Banan, S. H. A. (2016). Occupational hazards as perceived by nursing interns and protective measures. IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS), 5(6), 107-118. doi: 10.9790/1959-050601107118
Eyi, S. & Eyi, I. (2020). Nursing students’ occupational health and safety problems in surgical clinical practice. Sage Open, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020901801
Pałaszewska-Tkacz, A., Czerczak, S., Konieczko, K., & Kupczewska-Dobecka, M. (2019). Cytostatics as hazardous chemicals in healthcare workers' environment. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 32 (2), 1-19. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01248
Veenema, G. T. & Corley, A. (2015). Nurse Safety from Exposure to Chemicals and Biologics: Hazard Assessment, Decontamination and the Use of Personal Protective Equipment. Health Science Journal, 9(6).
