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Solutions you can count on
From the compounding pharmacist to the nurse who administers treatment to the staff cleaning a facility, an exposure can occur at almost any moment during the hazardous drug journey. The risk of hazardous drug exposure to healthcare workers is real and significant.
There’s no room for compromise.
With evidence-based insights on your current safe handling practices, rapid hazardous drug detection and closed-system drug transfer device (CSTD) solutions, the BD Hazardous Drug Solutions portfolio is designed to protect you—and the team you count on.
Assess. Plan. Protect.
The BD Hazardous Drug Solutions team collaborates with you to understand the real risks of hazardous drug exposure and surface contamination in your facility—and then tailor the solution that’s right for your safety, economic and clinical needs.
An integrated approach designed to help address the threat of hazardous drug exposure and create a clear plan to protect your healthcare workers with BD product recommendations and training.
A unique end-to-end program designed to help you understand, develop and implement hazardous drug surface contamination monitoring in four steps: assess, develop, test, track.
BD® HD Check System
The first rapid hazardous drug detection* system that provides easy-to-read binary results in less than 10 minutes to help facilitate routine monitoring and evaluate your institution’s safe handling practices.
*The BD® HD Check System tests for select hazardous drugs— cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and methotrexate. Surfaces with contamination at or above the limits of detection have 95% specificity and sensitivity.
BD® HD Check System
The first rapid hazardous drug detection* system that provides easy-to-read binary results in less than 10 minutes to help facilitate routine monitoring and evaluate your institution’s safe handling practices.
*The BD® HD Check System tests for select hazardous drugs— cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and methotrexate. Surfaces with contamination at or above the limits of detection have 95% specificity and sensitivity.
BD® HD Check System
The first rapid hazardous drug detection* system that provides easy-to-read binary results in less than 10 minutes to help facilitate routine monitoring and evaluate your institution’s safe handling practices.
*The BD® HD Check System tests for select hazardous drugs— cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and methotrexate. Surfaces with contamination at or above the limits of detection have 95% specificity and sensitivity.
Solutions with demonstrated impact
A first-of-its-kind study published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP) highlighted the value of integrating BD PhaSeal™ Optima System and BD® HD Check System into routine clinical practice.1
46% reduction in hazardous drug contamination after incorporating BD PhaSeal™ Optima System into clinical workflows1
Of the 5 hazardous drugs that showed pretest contamination at one testing site, 4 showed fewer contaminated surfaces posttest, and ALL showed reduced post-test contamination concentrations1
As part of a multifaceted approach, the BD PhaSeal™ Optima System and BD® HD Check System may help minimize barriers to routine monitoring, ultimately improving the safety of healthcare workers and patients1
Widespread, well-documented risk
This includes personnel throughout the entire hazardous drug journey—from pharmacists, nurses and technicians to those in housekeeping and environmental services and shipping and receiving roles.1
Potential for serious consequences
The risks of hazardous drug exposure are real and significant.
The Risks
2.5-fold to 5-fold increase in total chromosomal aberrations among healthcare workers handling hazardous drugs2-4
1.5-fold increase in nonmelanoma skin cancer and 3.7-fold increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma among pharmacy techs5
Leukemia risk is significantly increased in nurses with hazardous drug exposure (10.65-fold) vs risk in those without exposure6
Increased risk of liver damage among nurses handling antineoplastic drugs7
2.0-fold increased risk of miscarriage among staff handling antineoplastic drugs,8 along with an increase in risk of malformations in offspring9
Exposure to hazardous drugs may present a reproductive risk for men and women actively trying to conceive10
Exposure can occur anywhere on the HD journey
Exposure may occur anywhere hazardous drugs are present in your facility—from pharmacy receiving and preparation to administration and disposal.
A study of six hospitals found that frequently contacted surfaces at every stage of the hospital medication system had measurable levels of hazardous drug contamination.11
Is your facility up to date with current best practices?
For decades, clinical organizations have provided evidence-based recommendations to help protect healthcare workers from the risks of hazardous drug exposure. As protective technology and knowledge advance, these guidelines evolve. Staying current is a critical part of keeping your team safe.
On-demand webinars and resources
Check out these videos to learn more about the Safe to Touch Consensus Conference statements and hazardous drug guideline compliance.
“A Change Worth Making: Implementation of a novel CSTD and point-of-care HD detection system”
“Hazardous Drug Administration from Start to Finish — Have You Considered the Details”
MiKaela M. Olsen
DNP, APRN-CNS, AOCNS®, FAAN
Clinical Program Director,
The Johns Hopkins Health System
“Safe to Touch: How Nursing and Pharmacy can Partner on HD Surface Contamination Monitoring”
Closed-system drug-transfer device (CSTD) usage guidelines
The use of CSTDs has been widely recommended by different organizations, including the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP),1 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP),2 and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).3
“CSTDs should be used when compounding HDs when dosage form allows.”
— USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings
“HDs must be administered safely using protective medical devices and techniques. Examples of protective medical devices include needleless and closed systems.”
— USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings
“For these reasons, USP chapter 800 has determined that CSTDs should be used when compounding HDs and that CSTDs must be used when administering antineoplastic HDs when the dosage form allows and the device is physically or chemically compatible with the HD to be used.”
— ASHP Guidelines on Handling Hazardous Drugs2
“Consider using devices such as closed-system transfer devices, glove bags, and needleless systems when transferring hazardous drugs from primary packaging (such as vials) to dosing equipment (such as infusion bags, bottles, or pumps).”
— NIOSH alert 2004: Preventing occupational exposures to antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs in health care settings.3
Surface contamination monitoring guidelines
Organizations, health agencies and conferences around the world, such as the USP,1 Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacists (SEFH)4 and the 2020 Safe to Touch Consensus Conference on Hazardous Drug Surface Contamination,5 recommend routine monitoring as part of a comprehensive safe handling program.
“Environmental wipe sampling for hazardous drug surface residue should be performed routinely (e.g., initially as a benchmark and at least every six months, or more often as needed, to verify containment). […] Repeat the wipe sampling to validate that the deactivation/decontamination and cleaning steps have been effective.”
— USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings1
“To be efficient, any surface contamination monitoring plan should include an assessment of the contamination risk present in the different sections of the HPD’s compounding area. This is essential to determine where to sample and establish a suitable monitoring frequency. [...]”
— 2021 SEFH practice guidelines4
Recommended sampling locations
Standards and guidelines have identified several locations in pharmacy and patient administration areas where routine wipe sampling for HD surface contamination might be beneficial.
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Training and education recommendations
Comprehensive safe handling programs include comprehensive training and routine reassessments. Both the USP1 and Oncology Nursing Society7 provide specific recommendations for annual HD education.
“All personnel who handle HDs must be trained based on job functions… Personal competency must be reassessed every 12 months.”
— USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings1
“Comprehensive didactic education and documentation of clinical competence is required for all HCW and must be reassessed at least every 12 months.”
— Oncology Nursing Society—Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs7
Your partner on best practices
Ample evidence exists to support the prevalence of hazardous drug exposure and associated health risks to healthcare workers. Implementing a comprehensive safe handling program can pose multiple challenges. It’s a step worth taking.
From our BD Safe Handling Assessment to tailoring a cost-effective hazardous drug safety solution that’s right for your facility, BD can help.
Reach out to learn more about a BD Safe Handling Assessment today.
Assessing current practices
Your facility likely already has safety measures that help prevent hazardous drug exposure. How well is your program protecting your staff? Are you up to date with evolving standards and guidelines? Is your staff in compliance? Are there opportunities to optimize your approach?
BD can help uncover the answers.
BD Safe Handling Assessment
Using a proven and comprehensive methodology, the BD Safe Handling Assessment is designed to identify areas of risk and provide a detailed, actionable road map for safe handling of hazardous drugs with BD products for oncology care.
Joint Commission Resources (JCR) Assessment and Toolkit
Developed by the JCR and sponsored by BD, the Self-Assessment of Safe Handling Practices for Hazardous Drugs is a confidential online survey used to identify existing USP <800> compliance gaps. For help on closing those gaps, the Improving Safe Handling Practices for Hazardous Drugs Toolkit provides detailed guidance on standards, guidelines and best practices.
BD® HD Surface Contamination Monitoring Program
The BD® HD Surface Contamination Monitoring Program is a unique end-to-end program designed to help your facility set up, customize and sustain surface contamination monitoring in just four steps: assess, develop, test and track. The program, along with the BD® HD Check System, puts the power of providing data-driven continuous quality improvements for a safe work environment directly in your hands.
Set up a Safe Handling Assessment today.
Related Products
The BD® HD Check system reliably* detects surface contamination on multiple surfaces.
Safety. Performance. Ergonomics. Ease of use. We’ve advanced them all in the BD PhaSeal™ Optima CSTD.
The Texium™ system with VialShield™ provides a leak-free drip-free drug transfer.
The BD PhaSeal system is airtight and leakproof to protect your staff from hazardous drug exposure during drug preparation, administration and disposal.