Abstract
Introduction: As oral anticancer agents become more prominent in the treatment landscape, their expanded use may raise concerns, such as nonadherence, adverse events, drug monitoring, and high costs. Clinical pharmacists (CPs) provide patient education and medication management to address these concerns. To understand the services and communication offered, interviews were conducted with clinical pharmacists in oncology clinics. Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with pharmacists from oncology clinics across the US. The interviews evaluated clinical support services provided by CPs for patients on oral chemotherapy, and facilitators and barriers CPs face in implementing communication with the oncology team. The function and support of CPs in this context were assessed. Results: A total of 16 pharmacists were interviewed. As a result, three overarching themes were identified pertaining to typical roles: (1) CPs provide key support to oncology patients; (2) CPs face logistical, coordination, and communication challenges when supporting oncology patients, and (3) CPs contribute to patient safety and quality of care outside of direct patient care. A total of eight subthemes were identified. Conclusion: CPs provide high-quality care to patients according to national guidelines. However, they continue to be pulled in various directions to fill gaps that exist in the patient care pathway. This leads to pharmacists feeling unsupported, leading to burnout. Many CPs expressed not billing for services provided, making it difficult to advocate for additional supportive resources.
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