Ketamine mouthwash for mucositis pain.

Purpose: Our objective was to determine if an oral ketamine swish and expectorate was a safe and effective method to alleviate mucositis pain.

Methods: A retrospective chart audit was preformed on eight patients who received ketamine mouthwash (20 mg/5 mL) for refractory mucositis pain.

Results: All eight patients had mucositis pain refractory to a mucositis mixture (lidocaine, magnesium/aluminum hydroxide, and diphenhydramine) and opioids.

Development of an ambulatory palliative care pharmacist practice.

Purpose: The roles of a pharmacist in hospice and inpatient palliative care settings have been described. However, no reports of a palliative care pharmacist in an ambulatory care setting have been published. Our objective was to establish a model for incorporating an outpatient clinical pharmacist as part of a multidisciplinary palliative care team.