MyMichigan Health, Midland, MI
Katie Sias, David Reyes-Gastelum, Katie Young, Karen B. Farris, Ashley Schwartz, Julie Wietzke, Emily R. Mackler
Background: There is a need to optimize the education and follow-up of patients receiving oral anticancer agents (OAAs) and high emetic risk chemotherapy (HEC) due to toxicities and implications of non-adherence and decreased dose intensity. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes before and after the integration of a clinical pharmacist in a community oncology practice. Prior to the pharmacist, patients receiving OAAs and intravenous (IV) HEC received education and symptom monitoring by a team of nurses. Methods: This single center, retrospective analysis was conducted with data from February 2020 – December 2022. Up to 200 patients in the pre- and post-intervention periods each were identified. Charts were eligible for abstraction if patients were newly prescribed an OAA or IV HEC regimen during the study period. The post-intervention period began after the pharmacist’s start in March 2021. Patients receiving endocrine therapy for breast cancer were excluded. The following data were abstracted: patient demographics, OAA and IV HEC medication, line of therapy, cancer diagnosis, prescribed date, start date, education date, follow-up visits, emergency department (ED) and hospitalizations, reason for ED/hospitalization, IV HEC dose adjustments, delays and discontinuations. Chi-square analyses compared pre and post time periods. Results: Abstraction was completed for 179 patients in the pre-intervention (n=61 IV HEC; n=118 OAA) and 162 patients in the post-intervention group (n=44 IV HEC; n=118 OAA). After the pharmacist was integrated into the practice, more patients in the OAA group received education prior to their OAA start and had their medication adherence assessed. In the IV HEC group, more patients received guideline concordant care with a 4-drug regimen (including olanzapine) and were more often able to remain on their prescribed dose and dosing interval in the group with pharmacist care. Other outcomes remained approximately the same across time periods. Conclusions: Embedded clinical pharmacist care improved patient outcomes, including improved rates of patient education, medication adherence assessment, and improved dose intensity.
IV HEC -pre (n=61) | IV HEC – post (n=44) | OAA - pre (n=118) | OAA - post (n=118) | P-value | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Education prior to start | 53 (87%) | 40 (91%) | 45 (41%)* | 100 (85%)* | p=0.52 *p<0.0001 |
Medication adherence assessed | --- | --- | 34 (29%) | 75 (64%) | p<0.0001 |
Received guideline concordant antiemetics (4-drug regimen) | 13 (21%) | 27 (61%) | --- | --- | p<0.0001 |
90-day dose modifications/holds | 38 (62%) | 18 (41%) | --- | --- | p=0.03 |
90-day dose discontinuations | 14 (25%) | 7 (18%) | --- | --- | p=0.43 |
90-day ED visits | 13 (22%) | 9 (21%) | 18 (15%)* | 19 (16%)* | p=0.93 *p=0.86 |
90-day hospitalizations | 20 (33%) | 13 (30%) | 21 (18%)* | 25 (21%)* | p=0.72 *p=0.51 |
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