A patient diagnosed with lung cancer is receiving chemotherapy on an outpatient basis. The nurse must provide which of the following home care instructions to the patient?
Explanation
• Any contaminated linen or clothing should be washed separately and then can be washed a second time with other laundry to prevent exposure to chemotherapy in body fluids.
• The patient on chemotherapy may excrete the chemotherapeutic agent for 48 hours or more after administration.
• It would be unreasonable to have to use disposable utensils for the whole course of chemotherapy.
• All contaminated disposable items must be sealed in plastic bags and disposed as hazardous waste. Blood, emesis, urine, and stool may be considered contaminated during the course of chemotherapy. The patient should not share a bathroom with children or pregnant women during this time.