(111) Evaluation of the Impact of a Pharmacy Resident in an Outpatient Cancer Clinic

Poster Abstract: Background (137)
Pharmacists in the outpatient setting play a key role in optimizing patient care through patient counseling, managing adverse effects related to treatment, and assisting in selecting appropriate medication regimens. Current literature suggests that incorporating an oncology pharmacist into the outpatient cancer clinics has a financial benefit while adding value to patient care. A study by Randolph and colleagues analyzed three outcomes with documentation of pharmacist interventions, cost avoidance, and clinic satisfaction through surveys. Pharmacist interventions in this study resulted in a substantial estimated cost avoidance of $282,741 to their oncology clinic, with most interventions being chemotherapy regimen review and patient counseling. The aim of this study is to assess the role of a pharmacy resident in an outpatient oncology continuity of care clinic operated by Hematology and Oncology Fellows at Baylor Scott & white Medical Center – Temple

Objectives (35)
The primary objective will be to measure the clinical impact of a pharmacy resident through their interventions. Secondary objectives will assess financial impact through cost savings associated with interventions and humanistic impact via staff surveys.

Methods (186)
A prospective pilot study will be conducted at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center Hematology/Oncology Fellows Clinic from September 25, 2023, to November 19, 2023. This study period of approximately eight weeks corresponds to the pharmacy resident’s scheduled oncology rotations. The pharmacy resident will be available at the clinic 2 days a week during the study period to assist with patient education, answer drug information questions, and monitor medication safety. The type of clinical intervention and time spent completing the interventions will be documented on the patient’s electronic medical record. Clinical interventions made by the pharmacy resident will be measured and categorized according to the type of intervention. Clinical interventions have a specific net benefit cost associated with them that will be calculated when the data collection is complete. Anonymous staff surveys will be distributed before and after the study period in order to evaluate the perceptions of having a pharmacist integrated in the cancer clinic setting. Demographics, interventions, and survey results will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. Categorical variables will be reported as both totals, averages, and percentages

References (must also be included in final poster): 1. Colombo LR, Aguiar PM, Lima TM, Storpirtis S. The effects of pharmacist interventions on adult outpatients with cancer: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2017 Aug;42(4):414-24.
2.Shah S, Dowell J, Greene S. Evaluation of clinical pharmacy services in a hematology/oncology outpatient setting. Ann Pharmacother. 2006 Sep;40(9):1527-33. doi: 10.1345/aph.1H162. Epub 2006 Aug 1. PMID: 16882869.
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4.Virani A, Schlei Z, Gleason C, Ackermann M, Wolfe B, Major S, McIver A, Jakubowiak AJ, Jasielec J, Parsad S. Impact of an oncology clinical pharmacist specialist in an outpatient multiple myeloma clinic. Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia. 2020 Sep 1;20(9):e543-6.
5.Trinidad DM, Patel PR. The Impact of an Embedded Oncology Pharmacist in an Outpatient Oncology Center in the Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology. 2022 Sep;13(7):673.