Enhancing patients' understanding of and adherence to oral anticancer medication: Results of a longitudinal pilot intervention.

BACKGROUND: Oral anticancer medications (OAM) make administration more convenient for patients, but shifts the responsibility of care from clinical providers to the patients themselves. Following an institutional pilot study showing inadequate understanding and adherence among vulnerable patients taking OAM, a longitudinal intervention was developed using an oncology specialty pharmacist and medication navigators to enhance OAM understanding and adherence. METHODS: Patients initiating OAM were approached for four formalized teaching and check-in sessions, supplemented with medication information sheets and individualized calendars. At each session, participants were assessed on their OAM understanding and adherence using teach-back and validated measures. A study evaluation elicited feedback from participants on the usefulness of the intervention. RESULTS: Of 80 eligible patients, 58 (72.5%) received formal OAM teaching from the specialty pharmacist. Of those, 54 (93.1%) enrolled in the study with 39 (72%) completing the intervention for final analysis. At study completion, all participants adequately understood OAM taking, but 41.0% had inadequate understanding of OAM handling. Throughout the study, participants reported issues that were addressed by the intervention team (28.2% to 31.6%) as well as those requiring additional assistance from the treatment team (26.3% to 38.5%), Most participants found the intervention to be very beneficial (initial evaluation, 86.5%; final evaluation, 76.9%). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot intervention addressed gaps identified by our institutional assessment through formalized OAM teaching and follow-up. Improved understanding of taking and handling OAM through this subsequent study illustrated the enhanced effect of a multidisciplinary and multicomponent intervention to better educate and support patients on OAM.

Anesthesia for Patients Who Self-Report Cannabis (Marijuana) Use Before Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: A Retrospective Review.

Increasing numbers of patients are using cannabis before procedures that require anesthesia. This study set out to examine the impact of cannabis use on anesthetic agent requirements, associated cardiac and respiratory morbidity, and overall satisfaction levels in patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). This involved a retrospective review of patients undergoing EGD at a single center. Fortyseven, self-reported cannabis users were identified and 23 were successfully cross-matched with control participants for comparison purposes. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to evaluate differences in propofol administration between the 2 groups, and the McNemar test was used to test for differences in fentanyl and ketamine administration. No statistically significant differences were observed in propofol, fentanyl, or ketamine administration in the cannabis group compared with the control group. No adverse cardiac or respiratory events were reported within 30 days for either group. This study was specific to EGD procedures of short duration, and larger studies are needed to confirm results of no consequence in cannabis users undergoing anesthesia. Future studies should consider cannabis users who undergo anesthesia for diverse procedure types of various durations.

Risk Factors for Retinal Detachment: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for retinal detachment or tear (RD/T), and follow up two studies that found increased risk from work-related heavy lifting. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study including 200 cases of RD/T and 415 controls. Participants completed a questionnaire covering general health, vision, and physical exertion. Multiple logistic regression and propensity score matching was used to control confounding and estimate independent effects. RESULTS: RD/T risk was increased by one lifting measure: current regular lifting of more than 30 lbs (>13.6 kg). In the population aged less than 65 years, the odds ratio comparing those with/without heavy lifting was 1.81, 95% confidence interval = 1.08 to 3.04. CONCLUSION: Occupational heavy lifting may represent a risk factor for RD/T, but further research is needed in populations with frequent heavy physical exertion to more precisely quantify the risk.