If healthcare facilities genuinely want to protect their people from the harmful effects of hazardous drug exposure, they must go beyond the basics of NIOSH. In the second installment of our webinar series, we discussed why it's important to go beyond the NIOSH list and offered some tips based on what your peers are doing to protect their people.

Is it too late to say Happy New Year? Maybe Happy New NIOSH is more appropriate? 🥳

As you know, by the end of 2024, NIOSH delivered a present we’ve been waiting nearly nine years for. This present comes with a bag of screws and nails and that one tool that never works. In other words, we’re happy to have this guidance but it was not without some serious work to get the benefits.

Did you know there are still spreadsheets posing as effective formulary tools? I know, right? 

In healthcare, hazardous drug safety isn’t just a compliance box to check—it’s a critical responsibility shared across teams. Pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals all play a role in protecting themselves, their colleagues, and their patients from exposure risks.

We’re happy to have the opportunity to be a part of this story we are sharing with you today. 

As we reflect on the first full year since USP <800> became enforceable in early 2023, it's clear that compliance has been both a challenge and a learning opportunity for healthcare facilities nationwide. The initial inspections revealed that even well-prepared organizations discovered areas requiring additional attention and refinement in their hazardous drug safety protocols.

Founder of USP <800> Compliance, Healthcare Worker, Patient Safety Technology Provider Recognized for Thought Leadership Excellence  

It seems that you can't turn on the news without hearing about the next wave of COVID-19 that will soon travel across the U.S. Numbers are rising across the nation and there is again a great focus on the capacity of hospital systems to diagnose and treat sick patients, as well as maintain capacity for everyday operations outside of coronavirus care. 

While much of the discussion is on the ability to care for the increase in patients, we can't help but focus on the safety of healthcare workers as well. 

A shocking 8 million U.S. healthcare workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs (HDs) each year according to the CDC. In fact, a report in Pharmacy Times states, “compared with any other occupational setting, the health care setting uses the largest and most diverse array of agents that are hazardous to humans.” Not only are they exposed to a variety of hazardous agents every day, the effects may be compounded over the decades of their career.

Rpharmy is raising the bar in USP 800 compliance with Rhazdrugs, a searchable hazardous drugs database accessible at the point of care improving visibility, frontline healthcare staff safety, and compliance with regulations including USP 800.