Clinical pharmacist in oncology palliative medicine: drug compliance and patient adherence.

OBJECTIVES: Most patients in palliative oncology care are polymorbid and thus treated with multiple drugs. The therapeutic effect and safety of these drugs can be compromised by drug/drug interactions, but also by wider problems such as polypharmacy and compliance. The clinical pharmacist is, therefore, responsible for risk analysis and prevention. Our prospective open label non-randomised clinical study evaluated the importance of a clinical pharmacist in the palliative care team. METHODS: A total of 250 outpatients were included in the clinical study: 126 women (50.4%) and 124 men (49.6%), with a mean age of 71 years (range 21-94 years; SD 11.9). The patients had the performance status scale 0-3 [Formula: see text]. Clinical examinations were performed on a monthly basis (n=509 check-up visits). The clinical pharmacist prepared an educational chart for all medications used after each visit and evaluated any drug-related problems. Follow-up was 6 months. RESULTS: This study found a significant association between drug related-problems and polypharmacy (p<0.001). A low risk of drug-rfelated problems was observed during the initial visit, that is, 68 female (27.2%) and 25 male (10.4%) patients. A greater clinical-pharmaceutical risk was observed among the patients taking antihypertensive drugs (p=0.003) and/or beta blockers (p=0.048). CONCLUSION: This study confirms the essential role of a clinical pharmacist in oncology palliative care. The feedback obtained from the patients showed a notable improvement in their quality of life. Further, this clinical study confirmed the need for a personalised approach in palliative oncology care.