Chemotherapy precautions for family members at home

Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to target and kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but in doing so it lowers patients’ immunity to illness. When a family member is undergoing chemotherapy at home, it’s important to understand chemotherapy precautions for family members at home and how you can keep everyone safe.

Handling contact with family members

Many relatives ask, is it okay to have contact with family members during chemotherapy treatment? The answer is usually yes. While interaction brings with it risks of passing on a virus, this should be balanced with the benefits a hug or holding hands can give to a patient’s mental wellbeing at this difficult time.

If you are planning on visiting someone undergoing chemotherapy, here are some points to remember:

• You and any other guests should all be healthy and free from illness including the cold, flu and stomach bugs.
• Make sure everyone covers their mouth when they cough or sneeze, or wears a facemask.
• At times of low immunity, such as immediately following a chemotherapy session, physical contact should be reduced as much as possible.
• Everyone should wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before and after contact with the patient, handling their belongings or preparing food. If soap and water are unavailable, hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol is a good alternative. The NHS have provided a useful guide to good handwashing habits.

Personal protection and spill management

At-home chemotherapy offers many positive benefits for patients. However, it also means some tasks that would usually be done by trained healthcare staff in a hospital have to be performed by family members. This includes clean up. Contaminated items such as clothing or bedding should be washed separately as detailed below.

Managing patient clothing and laundry

To safely wash the clothes of patients undergoing chemotherapy, follow these steps. It’s important to stay safe and avoid touching any trace amounts of chemotherapy drugs that may be present on them.

• Keep the patient’s clothes and linens separate from the rest of the household laundry. This step prevents cross-contamination.
• If the clothes are heavily soiled, rinse them in cold water first before placing them in the washing machine. Dispose of the rinse water carefully, avoiding splashes or spills.
• Wash clothes twice, each time at 60º Celsius. Hot water helps break down any residual traces of chemotherapy drugs.
• If using a tumble dryer, use a high heat setting to ensure all clothes are dried thoroughly.
• Finally, clean the washing machine by running an empty cycle with hot water and bleach. Also make sure you thoroughly disinfect surfaces in the laundry area, including any areas that might have come into contact with soiled items.

Hygiene and cleaning practices

There are many benefits of in-home treatment. To make sure the patient receives these benefits, it’s important to practice good hygiene and offer a clean environment. Good hand hygiene is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of infections. It’s also a good idea to begin a daily cleaning routine for common areas such as sitting rooms, as well as the patient’s bedroom.

• Start by thoroughly cleaning floors, surfaces and furniture in the patient’s room, ensuring dust and debris are removed. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter for carpets and soft furnishings (make sure to disinfect the vacuum and filter afterwards too). Mop hard floors such as laminate with a disinfectant solution.
• Bed linen should be changed daily and the patient’s clothing and personal items should be washed regularly.
• Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces is vital to prevent the spread of infections. This doesn’t just include kitchen surfaces and toilets. Items like doorknobs, light switches and even remote controls and mobile phones should be wiped down regularly.

Emotional support and communication

Providing emotional support is essential for the wellbeing of patients during treatment. All cancer patients are assigned a clinical nurse specialist who can help you understand your diagnosis, treatment and care. They are available to listen to your concerns, and help remove feelings of isolation and anxiety that often accompany a cancer diagnosis. By listening to the patient’s worries, our clinical nurse specialists can help them come to terms with what is happening. Sometimes they don’t need advice – just someone to talk to during this tough time.

Special considerations

Pregnant or breastfeeding family members should take special precautions to avoid exposure to chemotherapy waste. Such drugs can pose risks to both the parent and the child. These individuals should not handle any materials contaminated with chemotherapy, such as used gloves, soiled clothing or bodily fluids. If possible, delegate the handling of chemotherapy-related waste and cleaning to another responsible household member. We also recommend you ask a healthcare provider for specific guidelines to ensure the safety of both the family member and the baby.

Finally, make sure all medication is kept high and away from children and animals, ideally be in a locked box somewhere safe.

Conclusion

When living with a chemotherapy patient, it’s important to make them feel relaxed, but just as important is keeping them safe. Family members should take several precautions to ensure everyone’s wellbeing. These include making sure the home is always clean, never exposing the patient to infections and using safety wear when cleaning clothes and surfaces.