Administration of anticancer drugs: exposure in hospital nurses.

Background: Even though anticancer drugs are prepared in dedicated pharmaceutical units, nurses remain exposed to cytotoxic agents during administration to patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess this occupational exposure during the intravenous line-purging procedure at the patient's bedside before administration in oncology departments.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted over a 4-week period in the hematology and oncology departments at a university hospital.