“HANDLING OF CYTOSTATICS IN HOSPITAL PHARMACY INSTALLATIONS”
The Bachelor of Pharmacy study program STIKES Notokusumo Yogyakarta held an expert lecture on January 5 2023 using a hybrid method, namely online and offline. This expert lecture is part of the learning from the Formulation and Technology of Sterile Preparations course in semester 5. The theme of this expert lecture is “Handling Cytostatics in Hospital Pharmacy Installations” with a practitioner resource person, namely pharmacist Yusuf Firmanta, S.Farm, pharmacist at RSPAU Dr Suhardi Hardjolukito chemotherapy depot section. The activity took place from 10.30 – 12.30 WIB, at the STIKES Notokusumo campus and also through campus zoom meetings.
In this expert lecture, Pharmacist Yusuf Firmanta explained the purpose of cytostatic drugs, the role of pharmacists, and the stages of handling cytostatic drugs. Cytostatic drugs are handled by pharmacists who already have a certificate for handling cytotoxics obtained through a training program. Handling cytostatic drugs is different from handling hard drugs usually and applies aseptic techniques. This is because cytostatic drugs are dangerous drugs if exposed directly. Handling of cytostatics in hospitals includes intravenous mixing (IV admixture) starting from storage, distribution, preparation, mixing, to handling waste and spills. Therefore, handling it requires trained human resources.
In addition to the presentation of the material, this expert lecture also demonstrated how to use sterile gloves, how to remove an injection syringe, how to take medication from a vial, and how to mix medicinal ingredients into an IV drip. In this expert lecture, participants who attended offline were given the opportunity to try practicing mixing intravenous preparations. By holding expert lectures that explain material and practice, it is hoped that students will better understand the role of pharmacy, especially in terms of handling cytotoxic handling.
