Avaliação dos riscos ocupacionais frente à manipulação de quimioterápicos por profissionais da central de manipulação do Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro (HUAC).

Abstract

Chemotherapy drugs are widely employed as a comprehensive therapeutic approach to cancer treatment. However, they may not exhibit high selectivity in their action directed at cancer cells, thus potentially exposing professionals involved in their handling to occupational risks. Therefore, this research seeks to analyze the occupational risks and practices adopted by pharmaceutical professionals and pharmacy technicians, who perform their tasks in the chemotherapy drug preparation unit at the Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro (HUAC). This is a descriptive and exploratory study that involves qualitative data analysis. Based on the analyses conducted in this study, a total of seven professionals participated, consisting of four pharmacists and three pharmacy technicians. However, the predominance of females was notable, representing 57.1% of the sample. The most common age group among professionals ranged between 20 and 39 years old, also with a representation of 57.1%. All professionals have postgraduate degrees - except for a pharmacy technician - with 57.1% having a lato sensu specialization. Only 28.6% of employees have accumulated more than 10 years of service. Regarding working time at the institution, the majority (57.1%) have worked there for more than a year, and 40 hours per week was predominant, covering 85.7% of the sample. Concerning periodic exams, 71.4% of participants reported that they were carried out less than a year ago. Furthermore, 57.1% of professionals mentioned feeling discomfort, such as leg pain and wrist tendonitis, after working hours. The pharmacists taking part in the research are responsible for handling antineoplastic medications, in addition to assuming several other functions in the institution's oncology sector, including stock management, prescription analysis, traceability, team training, waste disposal, qualification of suppliers, and supervision of interns. Regarding prescription analysis, it was mentioned that a lack of time and a shortage of pharmacists can lead to incomplete prescriptions. Professionals adopt safety measures, including the use of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and Collective Protection Equipment (EPC). However, there were disagreements regarding knowledge of these security measures. Otherwise, the study addressed waste disposal methods at the chemotherapy drug handling center at Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro and the criteria for quality control of medicines prepared at that location, including the analysis of the information contained on the labels of antineoplastic chemotherapy drugs. However, based on this study, it becomes clear that the professional activities performed by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the chemotherapy compounding center present inherent occupational risks. Therefore, it is crucial to implement policies that provide guidance and facilitate the choice of the most appropriate approaches and safety devices. They are essential to ensure the protection of professionals who face occupational risks when dealing with chemotherapy drugs.