Preventing medication errors in cancer chemotherapy referred to rural and remote hospitals

Patients from rural areas receiving simple chemotherapy regimens in regional or metropolitan centres are often sent back to their local hospital for treatment. As these centres commonly have health professionals with limited experience in the use of antineoplastic agents, it is particularly important to provide information that is accurate, thorough and has no potential for misinterpretation. The minimum information necessary has been identified in a previous study and includes patient details, diagnosis, chemotherapy protocol, dosages and method of confirmation, interval between cycles, supportive care and contact details for the prescriber. Staff at a number of small rural and remote hospitals were contacted to determine further useful information. Suggestions included: availability of premixed cytotoxics, methods of administration and possible adverse effects. A standardised computer format for providing oncological information was developed. Specific patient information is entered into the chosen protocol for each individual referred. This initiative has proven popular with participating hospitals and resulted in fewer inquiries and problems.