Optimizing patient education of oncology medications: A descriptive survey of pharmacist-provided patient education in Canada

Practicing and evaluating clinical pharmacy in oncology: Where are we now? A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Clinical pharmacy is a discipline structured around multiple activities whose objective is to secure patient care. Among all the specialties where it can be applied, oncology is a field of choice. More and more studies are being conducted on the impact of this activity, but their methodology and results seem at first sight very heterogeneous.

OBJECTIVE(S)

The objective of this literature review was to describe the clinical oncology pharmacy activities found in the literature, and analyze the methodology used and the outcomes measured by the authors for their evaluation.

METHODS

This literature review was based on the PRISMA-ScR criteria. The Embase, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO databases were searched. All studies reporting the evaluation of hospital-based clinical pharmacy activity in cancer patients were included based on a previously validated search equation. The search was conducted until the end of 2020. The quality of all studies was assessed using the MMAT.

RESULTS

Of the 2521 results of the initial query, 93 were selected for complete review. The main interventions implemented were pharmaceutical analysis as well as pharmaceutical interviews. The indicators assessed most often were the number of pharmaceutical interventions as well as treatment-related problems. The overall quality assessment score was 55%.

CONCLUSION

Clinical pharmacy activity in oncology still lacks robust studies, whether methodologically or of the measured indicator. Patient-centered impact indicators are still too rare. This area of research should focus on the homogenization of indicators and their relevance.

Exploring the perspectives of healthcare professionals in delivering optimal oncology medication education

Background

To optimize patient education, it is important to understand what healthcare professionals perceive to be ideal oncology medication education for patients to receive, and what they feel is their role and the role of others in its delivery. Education provided to patients is an important component of chemotherapy as it has been shown to benefit and positively impact patients who receive it. Educational interventions are often provided by multidisciplinary teams with the goal of improving patient care. However, few studies have explored the roles of healthcare professionals in delivering oncology medication education.

Objective

To explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals working in medical, gynaecological or hematological oncology to identify what they perceive to be optimal oncology medication education for patients.

Methods

Healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) working in medical, gynaecological or hematological oncology at the Nova Scotia Health Authority, Central Zone were invited to participate in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Fifteen interviews, including five physicians, four nurses and six pharmacists were conducted from February to April 2018. Four major themes were identified: Delivery of oncology medication education, Facilitating the patient learning process, Multidisciplinary Approach and Understanding barriers to the healthcare professional in providing education.

Conclusion

The identified themes uncovered novel ideas about how healthcare professionals felt oncology medication education could ideally be delivered to patients, and supported findings in the literature. Although participants discussed barriers to their ability to deliver optimal education, they also identified ways in which they can facilitate patient learning, for example, through the reinforcement of education. Participants recognized the importance of increasing collaboration and communication with the multidisciplinary team. This research will inform the design of any new models for oncology medication education at the Nova Scotia Health Authority, Central Zone and potentially other sites.