The U-M Health Hazardous Drug Oversight Committee (HDOC), with representatives from Pharmacy, Nursing and Safety Management Services, launched USP (United States Pharmacopeia) <800> Hazardous Drug Handling standards in 2023. USP <800> classifies drugs based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) hazardous drug list, and addresses health care worker safety while handling all hazardous drugs. 

Staff who work with patients or in patient care areas will be required to complete the 30-minute UMHS-62070-Safe Handling of Hazardous and BioSafety Drugs: Minimizing Exposure Risk(online course) online universal training module, available in Cornerstone Learning.

Two additional e-learnings: UMHS-62072- Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs For Clinical Staff (online course) and UMHS-62073: Hazardous Drug Spills (Online Course) are required for employees who prepare or administer hazardous drugs during the normal course of their work, for a total of 60 minutes of online learning.

What do these standards mean for employees?

USP <800> standards impact staff who handle hazardous drugs or materials contaminated with hazardous drugs. Policies and procedures will apply to all staff with exposure to hazardous drugs including nurses, prescribers, pharmacy and support staff.

Training for staff includes proper donning and doffing of PPE when handling hazardous drugs classified by NIOSH standards. Hazardous drug precautions will be implemented across the health system.

Additional information can be found in the USP 800 Frequently Asked Questions document posted on the Hazardous Drug Resource page of the Dept. of Pharmacy website (offsite access requires VPN login).

What training is assigned? 

Staff will get one of two options:

All staff who work with patients or in patient care areas: Will be assigned the "USP 800 Safe Handling of Hazardous and BioSafety Drugs: Minimizing Exposure Risk (UMHS-62070) Course"

OR

Staff who answer "YES" to the "Do you ever physically handle/touch medications/drugs other than occasional transport within units?" user profile question in Cornerstone: Will be assigned the "USP United States Pharmacopeia 800 Hazardous Drug and Spill Handling For Clinical Staff that handle hazardous drugs (UMHS-C62070)" Curriculum 

• This curriculum requires the completion of 3 e-learning modules(listed below). All modules must be completed in order to get credit.
  
  • Safe Handling of Hazardous and BioSafety Drugs: Minimizing Exposure Risk UMHS-62070
  • Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs For Clinical Staff UMHS-62072
  • Hazardous Drug Spills UMHS-62073

This training does not apply to me, how do I get it removed?

All staff who work in a patient care area are required to complete the USP 800 Safe Handling of Hazardous and BioSafety Drugs: Minimizing Exposure Risk (UMHS-62070) course. If you do not work in a patient care area, please work with your Manager or Facilitator to update your Cornerstone User Profile.

If you DO work in a patient care area, but do not handle hazardous drugs and have the incorrect training assigned, please verify that you have selected "NO" for the "Do you ever physically handle/touch medications/drugs other than occasional transport within units?" question on the User Profile Questionnaire. Once that is updated, the incorrect training will be removed within 24 hours (Completing Your User Profile Questionnaire Instructions).

If updating the profile does not change your training assignment after 24 hours, or you have further questions about this assignment, please contact Katie Barwig or Jamie Tharp.