Effect of Chemotherapy Nursing Protocol Application on Patients' Care Competency, Safety and Satisfaction

High qualified specialized oncology nurses are considered the backbone in any chemotherapy administration agency. Using standardized protocol for administration of chemotherapy is a pressing demand for prevention of medication errors with promotion of patients’ safety and satisfaction. Aim: Evaluate the effect of chemotherapy nursing protocol application on patients' care competency, safety, and satisfaction. Design : Quasi experimental design. Setting : Oncology institution of Menoufia University. Subjects : A convenience sample of 44 oncology nurses and 36 patients receiving chemotherapy. Tools : Socio-demographic questionnaire, Oncology Nurses' knowledge questionnaire, Self-assessment chemotherapy related clinical competency questionnaire, Patient safety culture questionnaire and patients' satisfaction questionnaire. Results : The number of reported errors decreased throughout study phases with high statistically significant difference. The total knowledge score of studied nurses was improved from 7.75 pre protocol application to 21.45 immediately post protocol application with high statistically significant difference. The total nurses’ competency score was improved from 48.79 to 88.50 then 87.57 respectively with high statistically significant difference. The total patients' satisfaction score was improved from 10.61 to 25.29 then 25.09 respectively with high statistically significant difference. Conclusion: A considerable improvement was observed in oncology nurses' knowledge, clinical competency and patients’ safety and satisfaction after chemotherapy nursing protocol application. In addition, there was positive correlation between nurses' knowledge and competency and both patients’ safety and satisfaction. Recommendation: Application of chemotherapy nursing protocol is recommended routinely for managing all chemotherapy patients.