Introduction: Occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents and safe handling of cytotoxic drugs (CDs) had gained a high concern among oncology nursing staff due to their potential health risks. Many organizations such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Oncology Nursing Society and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have recommended guidelines for safe handling of cytotoxic drugs. Aim of work: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of oncology nursing staff working at Tanta University Hospitals towards the safe handling of CDs. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for 3 months (from February to April, 2018) at the Oncology department in Tanta University Hospitals, Egypt. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to assess nurses` KAP regarding safe handling of CDs. Results: A total of 55 oncology nurses participated in the study. The total KAP scores of nurses towards the safe handling of CDs were satisfactory among 63.6% of the studied group. The mean scores of responses for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 19.05 ± 4.8 out of 26, 13.09 ± 3.07 out of 16, and 8.87 ± 1.35 out of 12, respectively. More than half of the nurses had previous training in the Oncology department. Defective use of personal protective equipments (PPE) during various steps of CDs handling was noticed. Conclusion: There was inadequate practice of safe handling of CDs and defective implementation of guidelines among the studied oncology nurses, necessitating more frequent in-service training and audit system to monitor and evaluate their performance after training.

Introduction:Basic life support (BLS) is an emergency method which includes identifying an arrest situation and starting immediate appropriate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedures to keep life till sufferers either recover or transported to a medical facility where advanced life support is existing. It is extremely vital that all nurses know regarding basic life support to save patients` lives. Aim of work: To assess the knowledge concerning Basic Life Support (BLS) among nursing professionals at Tanta University Hospitals. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of 6 months upon 510 randomly chosen nurses working in various Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Emergency Department and wards of Tanta University Hospitals using stratified sampling, a self-administered validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Results:The mean of total knowledge scores was 10.92 ± 3.73, about one third (33.92%) of nurses had adequate knowledge level. A significant association was found between participants` knowledge level and their academic qualification, place of current work, previous training on BLS and duration since the last training. About 42 % of studied nurses had previous BLS training. Trained nurses had significantly higher mean total knowledge score than untrained ones (12.99±3.27 vs. 9.37±3.27, p < 0.001). Conclusion and recommendations: The knowledge level of BLS was found to be inadequate among the majority of nursing staff working at Tanta University Hospitals. Regular inservice training and recertification of BLS competency are greatly recommended as well as rotating work schedule between ICUs, Emergency departments and other non emergency hospital wards.

Effective as well as competent communication of doctors with their patients is fundamental for conveying high-quality patient care along with building a harmonious physicianpatient relationship which constitutes a core dimension of patient-centeredness (Shikawa et al., 2013 and Da Liu et al., 2016). Effective physicianpatient communication can be defined as the method in which a physician transfers information to a patient in a way that he understands the doctors` instructions efficiently, supporting patients' self-management, managing of ambiguity and feelings, and helping decision making (Travaline et al., 2005; and Zolnierek and DiMatteo, 2009). Ineffective doctor-patient communication is challenging since it can result in non-adherence plus other health-related issues as the stress of paying for medical expenses (Meluch and Oglesby, 2015). Throughout the precedent years, patient-centeredness has been internationally discussed in all health care related fields (Baker, 2001). Patient-centered care is defined as clinical management given by medical experts that focuses on respecting and attending to patient's requirements, preferences, needs, and standards, instead of the physician's own plan (Breen et al., 2009). Physicians' communication skills affect a diversity of factors in clinical practice, and many studies revealed that effective doctorpatient communication increases patient satisfaction, patient understanding, recall, and compliance with treatment and health outcomes. Additionally, effective communication can also increase the physician's job-satisfaction, health, and well-being (Hu et al., 2016). Good communication is essential for both patients' and physicians' satisfaction, satisfied patients are less liable to malpractice complaints, and have better job satisfaction, a lesser amount of work-related stress, and diminished burnout (Harmon et al., 2006). Studies have shown that excellent physician-patient communication [PPC] skills are related to patient health outcomes. Zolnierek and DiMatteo, 2009 in a meta-analysis study; stated that effective physician-patient communication has a positive significant correlation with patient adherence to treatment; they also found a considerable increase in the patients' adherence after doctors received communication skills training. Other studies established a