title: The Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) guidelines for the safe prescribing, dispensing and administration of cancer chemotherapy.
abstract: The issue of medication safety is highly significant when anti-cancer therapy is used as a treatment modality due to the high potential for harm from these agents and the disease context in which they are being used. These guidelines provide recommendations on the safe prescribing, dispensing and administration of chemotherapy and related agents used in the treatment of cancer. The guidelines represent a multidisciplinary collaboration to standardise the complex process of providing chemotherapy for cancer and to enhance patient safety. These are consensus guidelines based on the best available evidence and expert opinion of professionals working in cancer care. The aim of these guidelines is to assist in the prevention of medication errors and to improve patient safety with respect to the treatment of cancer. This guidance is intended for a multi-disciplinary audience and will have most relevance for medical, nursing and pharmacy staff involved in the complex processes of delivering chemotherapy and associated treatment. The scope of the guidelines includes; all patients and age groups receiving chemotherapy and targeted therapy for the treatment of cancer and cancer therapy administered by any route in both the hospital and home setting. These guidelines should be seen as point of reference for practitioners providing cancer chemotherapy services.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer, Princess Alexandra Hospital/Cancer Control Team, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. christine_carrington@health.qld.gov.au
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carrington
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Bogda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koczwara
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Searle
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Siderov
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rushton
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents