Expanding the role of clinical pharmacists in community oncology practice results of implementation at the Jack ady Cancer Clinic

Increasing demand for cancer care services in the community setting is putting pressure on ambulatory cancer clinics to become more productive and efficient. Limited numbers of medical oncologists means that other healthcare professionals must work to their full scope of practice to enable oncologists to focus on activities only they can undertake. Oncology pharmacists have the potential to assume a greater role in patient care as part of multidisciplinary teams in the community setting. This study evaluates a pilot project undertaken at the Jack Ady Cancer Clinic (JACC) in Alberta to implement an expanded pharmacist role that included direct interaction with patients and greater integration into the care team. The primary objective was to improve use and results of antiemetics for patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. One-year results of the nonrandomized study found that the new pharmacist role had a positive impact on the incidence and severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The acceptability and sustainability of the increased pharmacist role were further assessed through workload analysis, as well as team member and patient surveys, and showed overwhelmingly positive reception of the new role by clinicians and patients. Results strongly support the benefits of an expanded role for clinical pharmacy services. Further research is needed on the impact of the expanded clinical pharmacist role on specific patient outcomes, continuity of care and costeffectiveness. 1,2,3