| West Virginia Oncology Society |
In 2008-2009, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Oncology Nursing Society
(ONS) implemented a consensus-based process to develop standards for safe administration of
chemotherapy to adult patients in the outpatient setting.
The ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards development process was initiated with a review of
the literature and convening of a workshop of 40 multidisciplinary oncology professionals,
representing diverse practice settings, including oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers,
practice administrators and patient advocates. A complete list of workshop participants can be found
here. Workshop participants used a structured consensus building and voting process that
culminated in a draft of 34 safety standards. The draft standards were then posted for six weeks of
public comment. All 322 submitted comments were logged and used to select and refine the final
standards set. To read the JCO article fully describing the ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety
standards process for development, consensus and refinement, and a discussion of the standards
and results, click here.
The ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards are intended to reduce the risk of errors when
providing patients with chemotherapy and provide a framework for best practices in cancer care.
Specifically, they can inform practice policies and procedures, internal quality assessment, and
external quality monitoring. The standards are applicable to all outpatient oncology settings and are
voluntary. To view the standards: ASCO/ONS Standards for Safe Chemotherapy Administration.
ASCO suggests that hematology-oncology practice staff assess their own compliance with each of
the ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards. To help oncology practices review and develop
policies and procedures needed to adhere to these chemotherapy safety standards, ASCO has
developed an online guide of sample policies. The sample policies are posted in Word format to
facilitate use in practice. The entire document, or specific sections, can be copied, saved or modified.
To view the sample policies based on the ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards: Sample
Policies for Safe Administration of Chemotherapy.
For more information contact: ASCO’s Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department, at 571-483-1670
or cancerquality@asco.org.
Disclaimer: These standards related to patient safety for chemotherapy administration in the
ambulatory/outpatient setting were developed jointly by ONS and ASCO using a consensus process.
The standards are intended to reflect current thinking on best practices, but are not comprehensive
and do not account for individual patient variation. It is the responsibility of each administering
agent to determine the best methods for chemotherapy administration for each patient. The
standards are not medical advice or legal advice. To the extent that the standards conflict with
applicable federal, state, or local legal requirements, practitioners should comply with those
requirements. The administering agent is solely responsible for, and assumes all risks of,
administering chemotherapy drugs notwithstanding any adherence to the standards herein. ASCO
and ONS disclaim any and all liability with respect to the standards and the execution of the
standards by any party.
(ONS) implemented a consensus-based process to develop standards for safe administration of
chemotherapy to adult patients in the outpatient setting.
The ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards development process was initiated with a review of
the literature and convening of a workshop of 40 multidisciplinary oncology professionals,
representing diverse practice settings, including oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers,
practice administrators and patient advocates. A complete list of workshop participants can be found
here. Workshop participants used a structured consensus building and voting process that
culminated in a draft of 34 safety standards. The draft standards were then posted for six weeks of
public comment. All 322 submitted comments were logged and used to select and refine the final
standards set. To read the JCO article fully describing the ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety
standards process for development, consensus and refinement, and a discussion of the standards
and results, click here.
The ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards are intended to reduce the risk of errors when
providing patients with chemotherapy and provide a framework for best practices in cancer care.
Specifically, they can inform practice policies and procedures, internal quality assessment, and
external quality monitoring. The standards are applicable to all outpatient oncology settings and are
voluntary. To view the standards: ASCO/ONS Standards for Safe Chemotherapy Administration.
ASCO suggests that hematology-oncology practice staff assess their own compliance with each of
the ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards. To help oncology practices review and develop
policies and procedures needed to adhere to these chemotherapy safety standards, ASCO has
developed an online guide of sample policies. The sample policies are posted in Word format to
facilitate use in practice. The entire document, or specific sections, can be copied, saved or modified.
To view the sample policies based on the ASCO/ONS chemotherapy safety standards: Sample
Policies for Safe Administration of Chemotherapy.
For more information contact: ASCO’s Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department, at 571-483-1670
or cancerquality@asco.org.
Disclaimer: These standards related to patient safety for chemotherapy administration in the
ambulatory/outpatient setting were developed jointly by ONS and ASCO using a consensus process.
The standards are intended to reflect current thinking on best practices, but are not comprehensive
and do not account for individual patient variation. It is the responsibility of each administering
agent to determine the best methods for chemotherapy administration for each patient. The
standards are not medical advice or legal advice. To the extent that the standards conflict with
applicable federal, state, or local legal requirements, practitioners should comply with those
requirements. The administering agent is solely responsible for, and assumes all risks of,
administering chemotherapy drugs notwithstanding any adherence to the standards herein. ASCO
and ONS disclaim any and all liability with respect to the standards and the execution of the
standards by any party.
| New ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards |
ASCO