First National Chemotherapy Safety Standards Issued Jointly by ASCO and ONS

In 2009, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) issued the first national standards for the safe administration of chemotherapy, marking ASCO's initial foray into standards setting. These standards aimed to cover the entire chemotherapy process, from drug ordering to patient follow-up, and were developed by a multidisciplinary group of 40 professionals. The final 31 standards were designed to reduce errors and improve cancer care practices, emphasizing the use of electronic medical records. The initiative was seen as a significant step forward in ensuring patient safety and enhancing the quality of outpatient chemotherapy administration. The collaboration between ASCO and ONS was praised as highly effective, and the standards were considered long overdue, providing a higher level of performance expectation across all involved in chemotherapy administration.