Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador
Background: Over the past decade, there has been a sharp rise in the approval of orally administered anti-cancer agents for disease control. The increase in the use of oral anti-cancer agents (OAAs) raises concerns that community pharmacists may not have the training to safely dispense these agents...
Published in: | Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada |
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Language: | English |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3821/1913-701x-144.5.220 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3821/1913-701X-144.5.220 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.3821/1913-701X-144.5.220 |
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crsagepubl:10.3821/1913-701x-144.5.220 2024-10-13T14:09:06+00:00 Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador Abbott, Rick Edwards, Scott Edwards, Jonathan Dranitsaris, George McCarthy, Joy 2011 http://dx.doi.org/10.3821/1913-701x-144.5.220 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3821/1913-701X-144.5.220 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.3821/1913-701X-144.5.220 en eng SAGE Publications https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada volume 144, issue 5, page 220-226 ISSN 1715-1635 1913-701X journal-article 2011 crsagepubl https://doi.org/10.3821/1913-701x-144.5.220 2024-10-01T04:07:38Z Background: Over the past decade, there has been a sharp rise in the approval of orally administered anti-cancer agents for disease control. The increase in the use of oral anti-cancer agents (OAAs) raises concerns that community pharmacists may not have the training to safely dispense these agents and provide effective patient care. In order to identify the needs of community pharmacists with respect to oral anti-cancer therapy, a survey was conducted in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: A structured electronic mailing strategy was used. Standardized data collection forms with a cover letter were electronically mailed to 560 practising pharmacists. Survey items included questions related to demographic information, practice setting, current knowledge related to cancer therapy, education needs, access to resources, patient education, patient and pharmacist safety and required elements of an OAA prescription. Results: The response rate was 39%. Only 9.6% of respondents felt that they had received adequate oncology education at the undergraduate level and approximately 31% had attended a continuing education event related to oncology in the past 2 years. Just 17% of respondents stated that they used protective equipment when dispensing OAAs. Only 28% of the pharmacists who responded were familiar with the common doses of OAAs and approximately 25% felt comfortable educating patients on these medications. Conclusions: A substantial portion of community pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador do not have a solid understanding of oral anti-cancer therapy. These educational gaps must be addressed to ensure patient safety as well as the safe handling and dispensing of OAAs by community pharmacists. Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland SAGE Publications Newfoundland Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada 144 5 220 226 |
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Background: Over the past decade, there has been a sharp rise in the approval of orally administered anti-cancer agents for disease control. The increase in the use of oral anti-cancer agents (OAAs) raises concerns that community pharmacists may not have the training to safely dispense these agents and provide effective patient care. In order to identify the needs of community pharmacists with respect to oral anti-cancer therapy, a survey was conducted in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: A structured electronic mailing strategy was used. Standardized data collection forms with a cover letter were electronically mailed to 560 practising pharmacists. Survey items included questions related to demographic information, practice setting, current knowledge related to cancer therapy, education needs, access to resources, patient education, patient and pharmacist safety and required elements of an OAA prescription. Results: The response rate was 39%. Only 9.6% of respondents felt that they had received adequate oncology education at the undergraduate level and approximately 31% had attended a continuing education event related to oncology in the past 2 years. Just 17% of respondents stated that they used protective equipment when dispensing OAAs. Only 28% of the pharmacists who responded were familiar with the common doses of OAAs and approximately 25% felt comfortable educating patients on these medications. Conclusions: A substantial portion of community pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador do not have a solid understanding of oral anti-cancer therapy. These educational gaps must be addressed to ensure patient safety as well as the safe handling and dispensing of OAAs by community pharmacists. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Abbott, Rick Edwards, Scott Edwards, Jonathan Dranitsaris, George McCarthy, Joy |
spellingShingle |
Abbott, Rick Edwards, Scott Edwards, Jonathan Dranitsaris, George McCarthy, Joy Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador |
author_facet |
Abbott, Rick Edwards, Scott Edwards, Jonathan Dranitsaris, George McCarthy, Joy |
author_sort |
Abbott, Rick |
title |
Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_short |
Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_full |
Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_fullStr |
Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_full_unstemmed |
Oral Anti-Cancer Agents in the Community Setting: A Survey of Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_sort |
oral anti-cancer agents in the community setting: a survey of pharmacists in newfoundland and labrador |
publisher |
SAGE Publications |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3821/1913-701x-144.5.220 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3821/1913-701X-144.5.220 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.3821/1913-701X-144.5.220 |
geographic |
Newfoundland |
geographic_facet |
Newfoundland |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_source |
Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada volume 144, issue 5, page 220-226 ISSN 1715-1635 1913-701X |
op_rights |
https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3821/1913-701x-144.5.220 |
container_title |
Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada |
container_volume |
144 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
220 |
op_container_end_page |
226 |
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1812815953125179392 |