Critical appraisal of the hazardous medication personal protective equipment guide for health care workers in a supportive living setting

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Health care workers caring for adults in the Supportive Living setting (SLS) are at risk for exposure to hazardous medications. To control workers’ exposure, Alberta Health Services developed the Hazardous Medication Personal Protective Equipment Guide and List (the Guide). The overall goal of this practicum was to conduct a critical appraisal of that Guide with recommendations for future implementation and evaluation. Methods: Three methods of data collection were used to inform the critical appraisal: a comprehensive review of the literature, consultations with key informants, and an environmental scan of hazardous medication management resources. Results: A critical appraisal of the Guide using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) Instrument showed that it was a high quality clinical practice guideline. Conclusion: The Guide is recommended for use in the supportive living setting, with minor modifications in the Applicability and Editorial Independence domains.