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

J Oncol Pract

Touro University California, Vallejo, CA; Touro College and University System, New York; Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook; Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA; Duke University Hospital, Durham; Cone Health Cancer Center Pharmacy, Greensboro, NC; New England Cancer Specialists, Brunswick, ME; Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, OR; Koontz Oncology Consulting, Houston, TX; St Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute, Boise, ID; The University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, AZ; University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK; University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aurora, CO; Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Birmingham, AL; and University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD.

Published: April 2016

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. The purpose of this study is to estimate the supply of Board of Pharmacy Specialties-certified oncology pharmacists (BCOPs) and their potential contribution to the care of patients with cancer through 2020.

Methods: Data regarding accredited oncology pharmacy residencies, new BCOPs, and total BCOPs were used to estimate oncology residencies, new BCOPs, and total BCOPs through 2020. A Delphi panel process was used to estimate patient visits, identify patient care services that BCOPs could provide, and study limitations.

Results: By 2020, there will be an estimated 3,639 BCOPs, and approximately 62% of BCOPs will have completed accredited oncology pharmacy residencies. Delphi panelists came to consensus (at least 80% agreement) on eight patient care services that BCOPs could provide. Although the estimates given by our model indicate that BCOPs could provide 5 to 7 million 30-minute patient visits annually, sensitivity analysis, based on factors that could reduce potential visit availability resulted in 2.5 to 3.5 million visits by 2020 with the addition of BCOPs to the health care team.

Conclusion: BCOPs can contribute to a projected shortfall in needed patient visits for cancer treatment. BCOPs, along with nurse practitioners and physician assistants could substantially reduce, but likely not eliminate, the shortfall of providers needed for oncology patient visits.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/JOP.2015.008490DOI Listing

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