Historically, CSTD adoptions have not always occurred on a facility-wide basis. Pharmacy’s use of CSTDs for drug preparation has continually outstripped nursing’s use of CSTDs in the drug administration stage. All too often, nursing becomes inured to the dangers of hazardous drug (HD) exposure as HD administrations become rote, and many nurses do not recognize the value of reducing their risk via appropriate containment. Consequently, it is quite rare for nursing to seek out CSTDs on their own, instead pharmacy is more likely to purchase these devices for (or in partnership with) nursing. 

Looking forward, nursing is projected to continue to lag behind pharmacy in new CSTD implementations. Among those facilities currently without CSTDs, 31% expect to implement these devices into the drug preparation stage, but only 22% expect to do so for the drug administration stage. This disparity offers pharmacy an opportunity to educate nursing on the risks posed by HD exposure and thus drive improvements in staff safety across the facility.

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