Oral agents offer benefits to both patients and providers. Because patients self-administer oral anticancer drugs at home, travel to treatment and time spent in the cancer center or physician office can be reduced. However, oral therapies present challenges in terms of patient compliance with treatment regimens, monitoring of side effects, and the cost of treatment.
For this project, Steps to Success: Implementing Oral Oncolytics, ACCC identifies barriers and effective practices in starting patients on an oral oncolytics regimen. The project describes how different organizations approach, manage, and track the process of providing oral therapies to their patients.
A multidisciplinary team approach ensures all departments are actively engaged in care, no pieces are missed, and resources are not wasted on duplication.
Assigning roles—regardless of job title—ensures that each person knows what he or she is responsible for and that nothing falls through the cracks.
If your cancer program relies primarily on outside specialty pharmacies for oral oncolytics, develop strong collaborations through proactive communication and frequent follow-up with them.
If your cancer program has an on-site dispensing specialty pharmacy, develop parallel processes when oral oncolytics need to be dispensed by an outside specialty pharmacy.
Given the high out-of-pocket costs associated with oral oncolytics, providing effective financial advocacy services is crucial for community cancer programs and the patients they serve. Proactively screen and identify patients who are at high risk for developing financial toxicity.
Schedule a dedicated patient education office visit. Be sure to assess health literacy and understanding before reviewing important information.
Effectively assessing for potential toxicity begins when pharmacists are able to review the patient’s medication list for potential drug-drug interactions. Studies have shown that pharmacists often make recommendations and provide interventions that can lead to safer doses or avoidance of serious interactions. When monitoring for toxicities, ensure that the right members of the team are reviewing the information and are notified when warning signs are present.
Find ways to maximize the use of technology to streamline workflow processes and improve communication.
Fast Facts
[1] Bankhead C. Some Cancer Patients May Overdo Oral Meds. MedPage Today. Oct. 13, 2013.http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/Chemotherapy/42241.
[2] D’Amato S. Improving Patient Adherence with Oral Chemotherapy. Oncol Issues. Jul.-Aug. 2008:42-45.
Funding & Support provided by Pfizer Oncology
