Healthcare employees work hard to provide quality care to patients. However, they sometimes need to administer medications that may be harmful to their own health. If they’re exposed to small doses of certain drugs over a long period of time, they may cause serious side effects, such as cancer.

But to ensure appropriate protection, it’s key to identify the potentially harmful drugs. Unfortunately, a complete list of these drugs doesn’t exist in Quebec. US literature is incomplete and would need to be adapted to suit our healthcare network. As it is, every healthcare facility in Quebec has to make their own list, which takes a considerable amount of time. The extra work and lack of clear guidelines are barriers for many facilities.

At CHU Sainte-Justine, we set up a committee of pharmacists, nurses, occupational hygienists and clinical activity specialists from various healthcare facilities to create a comprehensive list for Quebec. The committee evaluated 710 drugs and updates the list as new products hit the Canadian market.

The list is now available and used as a reference in healthcare facilities. Many other groups and organizations use it as well. Hospitals no longer have to do their own research, which is an enormous time-saver. The list helps healthcare workers carry out their missions safely, regardless of where they work.

Project submitted by:

Cynthia Tanguay, Clinical Activity Specialist

Contributors:

Annick Dufour, Pharmacist, CISSS Montérégie-Centre
Annie Langlais, Pharmacist, CHU de Québec – Université Laval
Audrey Chouinard, Nurse, Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and Université de Montréal
Jean-François Bussières, Pharmacist, CHU Sainte-Justine
Jean-François Delisle, Pharmacist, CHU Sainte-Justine
Lisa Labrecque, Advisor, ASSTSAS
Lysanne Besse, Pharmacist, Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal Marie-Noëlle Dupuis, Pharmacist, CISSS de la Gaspésie
Mélanie Drouin, Pharmacist, CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches
Priti Wahi, Pharmacist, CIUSSS-de-l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal
Véronique Savard, Nurse, CHU de Québec – Université Laval