Value Assessment of Oncology Pharmacist Interventions.

A review of the published literature confirms the challenge in quantifying the value of oncology pharmacists. This editorial expands on a 2020 study by Meleis and colleagues published in the and seeks to correlate pharmacist interventions to cost-saving and cost-avoidance measures to show the value of ambulatory oncology clinical pharmacists in patient care. A total of 4,686 interventions were reviewed.

Which hematology/oncology patients are high priority for ambulatory clinical pharmacist review? A three-round Delphi survey by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Introduction: Prioritization and acuity tools have been leveraged to facilitate targeted and efficient clinical pharmacist interventions. However, there is a lack of established pharmacy-specific acuity factors in the ambulatory hematology/oncology setting. Therefore, National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Pharmacy Directors Forum conducted a survey to establish consensus on acuity factors associated with hematology/oncology patients that are high priority for ambulatory clinical pharmacist review.

Incidence of skeletal related events in patients with bone metastasis receiving denosumab every four weeks compared to intervals greater than every four weeks.

Objective: Denosumab is a monoclonal antibody used for prevention of skeletal related events in patients with bone metastasis from solid tumors and is administered every four weeks. In our practice, denosumab is often given at different frequencies more similar to patient's chemotherapy regimens to decrease frequency of clinic visits. The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of skeletal related events, incidence of hypocalcemia, and cost with denosumab given at every four weeks and denosumab given at other frequencies.

Antiemetics: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update.

Purpose To update the ASCO guideline for antiemetics in oncology. Methods ASCO convened an Expert Panel and conducted a systematic review of the medical literature for the period of November 2009 to June 2016. Results Forty-one publications were included in this systematic review.

Management of Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting.

Despite advances in the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), clinical management remains a challenge and CINV continues to be a side effect that patients fear most. Advanced practitioners can play a major role in evidence-based interventions for prevention and management of these side effects of treatment.

Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacists: Their Potential Contribution to Reducing a Shortfall in Oncology Patient Visits.

Purpose: With an aging US population, the number of patients who need cancer treatment will increase significantly by 2020. On the basis of a predicted shortage of oncology physicians, nonphysician health care practitioners will need to fill the shortfall in oncology patient visits, and nurse practitioners and physician assistants have already been identified for this purpose. This study proposes that appropriately trained oncology pharmacists can also contribute.

Palonosetron versus older 5-HT3 receptor antagonists for nausea prevention in patients receiving chemotherapy: a multistudy analysis.

Background: No clinical standard currently exists for the optimal management of nausea induced by emetogenic chemotherapy, 7particularly delayed nausea.

Objectives: To compare the effcacy and safety of palonosetron with older 5-HT3 receptor antagonists (RAs) in preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea.

Methods: Data were pooled from 4 similarly designed multicenter, randomized, double-blind, clinical trials that compared single intravenous doses of palonosetron 0.

Pooled analysis of phase III clinical studies of palonosetron versus ondansetron, dolasetron, and granisetron in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

Purpose: Preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is integral to treatment success in patients with cancer. This analysis was undertaken to assess the relative efficacy and safety of palonosetron versus older 5HT3 RAs in preventing CINV associated with moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy.

Methods: Patient-level data from four randomized, double-blind, phase III trials comparing palonosetron 0.

Corticosteroids in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most feared side effects of cancer treatment, despite the advances over the past decades. Corticosteroids have been shown to be effective in the management of CINV. These agents are usually used in combination with serotonin antagonists and neurokinin-1 antagonists for highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy or as monotherapy for low-emetogenic chemotherapy.

American College of Chest Physicians consensus statement on the use of topical anesthesia, analgesia, and sedation during flexible bronchoscopy in adult patients.

Background: Optimal performance of bronchoscopy requires patient's comfort, physician's ease of execution, and minimal risk. There is currently a wide variation in the use of topical anesthesia, analgesia, and sedation during bronchoscopy.

Methods: A panel of experts was convened by the American College of Chest Physicians Interventional/Chest Diagnostic Network.

Role of oncology clinical pharmacists in light of the oncology workforce study.

To date, the information published regarding workforce implications has focused on physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. But oncology clinical pharmacists also can assist with direct patient care and patient education activities.

Quality management of potential chemotherapy-induced neutropenic complications: evaluation of practice in an academic medical center.

Goals: Management of the risk of potential chemotherapy-induced neutropenic complications such as febrile neutropenia (FN) and severe neutropenia (SN) is a quality of care priority. How frequently does care at our institution conform to established guidelines?

Materials And Methods: This retrospective chart review study included a random sample of 305 cancer patients receiving care at a single US academic medical center. Abstracted data included demographics, risk factors, and outcome variables (e.

Caring for the treatment-experienced breast cancer patient: the pharmacist's role.

Purpose: The number of options for the management of metastatic breast cancer has expanded considerably during the past few years and are discussed here.

Summary: New treatments have helped to palliate cancer symptoms and improve quality of life for many patients, but they also are associated with several clinically significant adverse events, including myelosuppression, nausea and vomiting, and neuropathy. Neutropenia often develops within a few days of the onset of chemotherapy and is associated with an increased risk of serious infection, hospitalization, treatment delays, and increased treatment costs.