Use of therapeutic outcomes monitoring method for performing of pharmaceutical care in oncology patients

Abstract

This study aimed to implement pharmaceutical care using the therapeutic outcome monitoring (TOM) method for pharmacotherapeutic follow-up of oncological patients. This was a prospective longitudinal study involving patients undergoing oral chemotherapy. The study environment was an outpatient pharmacy at a tertiary-level oncology hospital. Ninety patients who received oral chemotherapy were evaluated, and 27 patients were followed up in accordance with the exclusion criteria and acceptability of participation in the study. The patients were predominantly diagnosed with gynecological tumors, with a mean age of 57.56 ± 13.06. The average consumption of drugs per patient was 4.63 ± 4.85, and more than 55% of patients had undergone oral antineoplastic therapy for more than a year. The main therapeutic groups used were drugs that acted on the gastrointestinal tract and metabolism (34%). All patients had at least one drug-related problem (DRP). In total, 133 DRP were identified. Approximately 33% of patients had DRPs related to antineoplastic therapy; non-adherence, incorrect administration, and the probability of adverse events were among the frequently reported DRPs. We identified 43 negative outcomes associated with medication (NOM), with untreated health problems (47%) and non-quantitative insecurity (30%) being the most frequently reported. 81 pharmaceutical interventions were performed, and 96% were accepted. The main errors avoided with the interventions were untreated health problems, misuse, and interruptions associated with medication administration. The TOM method effectively achieved the desired results of therapy, improving the use of medicines, and thus increasing patient safety.

Implementation of pharmaceutical care service to elderly cancer patients in a tertiary care hospital in South India

“…The likelihood of adverse events is higher due to the manifestation of side effects, followed by medication infectivity. 19,20 Clinical pharmacists have been proven in many studies to be effective at preventing and resolving DRPs. 21,22 ADRs were the most commonly occurring DRP (46%) according to Sisay et al, 23 whereas ADR was the second most commonly identified DRP (27%) according to Riechelmann et al 24 with DDI being the most commonly occurring DRP.…”