Standardization of the Verification Nurse Role in the Delivery of Chemotherapy and Biotherapy

After a chemotherapy overdose in 1994 resulted in the death of one patient and the permanent injury of another, the role of the verification nurse was created at a National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center. Recently, a task force was formed to assess and standardize the verification nurse’s unique role, which serves as the first check in preventing chemotherapy or biotherapy prescribing errors from reaching the patient.

AT A GLANCE

• Timely identification and resolution of prescribing errors directly affects patient safety, quality of care, patient wait times, and unnecessary drug waste.
• Event reporting systems help identify trends and allow institutions to take corrective action.
• The creation of a checklist for the verification nurse works to standardize workflows, onboard inexperienced staff, and achieve annual competencies.