S. Thevelin PhD, PharmD

Role and usefulness of an outpatient clinic for patients on oral anticancer therapy: 5-year experience in a general hospital in Belgium and review of the literature

SUMMARY

Oral anticancer therapy (OACT) is increasingly used for the treatment of cancer patients in the outpatient setting. Even for outpatients, clinical pharmacists (CPs) can provide in-depth patient education to ensure correct medication intake and effective management of adverse drug events (ADEs). It is currently unclear if this type of medication counselling can improve the care of outpatients on OACT. In 2010, a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic for patients on OACT (Raadpleging voor patiënten op Orale antitumorale Therapie Sint-Lucas, ROTS) was initiated at Sint-Lucas general hospital in Belgium. The ROTS outpatient service focuses on providing specialised counselling, support, and follow-up (by visit, phone, or mail) to provide a costeffective therapy and improve patients’ adherence in close collaboration with all healthcare providers (HPs). The CPs provided different interventions in the outpatient clinic. This report aims to evaluate the role and usefulness of this outpatient service. Specific objectives included a) number and type of interventions to assure safe, effective and cost-effective drug therapy, b) survey for adherence and satisfaction about counselling for patients, and c) satisfaction survey for physicians about the collaboration. Over a first five year period, a total of 2,974 interventions were performed on 181 patients, mainly consisting of ADE assessment and management, medication reconciliation and review, and adherence review and reinforcement, mostly by direct contact with the patients or remote via e-mail or telephone. In a recent survey, patients and HPs perceived these interventions as very useful, and the satisfaction rate about the provided information and ADEs management was high. In conclusion, our approach to setting up an outpatient service is well accepted by patients and HPs, showing the feasibility of integrating clinical pharmacy services in the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of cancer patients.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2022;16(3):133–41)

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