Evaluation of pharmacist interventions as part of a multidisciplinary cancer pain management team in a Chinese academic medical center.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate pharmacist interventions in the cancer pain management of hospitalized patients, focusing on a clinically meaningful change in drug-related problems and pain score.

Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed at a single academic comprehensive cancer center. Hospitalized patients with moderate to severe pain who had already received analgesic medication for at least 3 consecutive days were included. For patients who met the criteria for admission, a pharmacist followed up daily during hospitalization and evaluated the patient during pre- (first) and postintervention (second, third, and fourth) visits. Medication problems, medication changes, and changes in pain scores were assessed.

Results: A total of 195 patients were included in the study. The pharmacist identified 12 types of pharmacotherapeutic drug-related problems. The top 3 problems were nonadherence or missed doses (27.69%), inappropriate opioid selection (22.56%), and inappropriate dosage (16.41%). After the intervention of pharmacists, these drug-related problems decreased by 74.54% on average. Across all visits, the changes in pain scores (mean ± SD: 2.80 ± 1.92 vs. 1.90 ± 1.58, P < 0.05) and the number of patients with mild (172 vs. 128, P < 0.05), moderate (58 vs. 21, P < 0.05), and severe pain (9 vs. 2, P < 0.05) indicated a marked decrease in patients' pain levels after the inclusion of pharmacist in the cancer pain multidisciplinary management team (CPMMT).

Conclusion: Participation by the pharmacist in the CPMMT led to a marked reduction in most of the drug-related problems and a statistically significant change in pain score during the 4 visits, indicating that pharmacists play an active role in CPMMT.