Article Text
Abstract
Background Cancer patients at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust receive the majority of their chemotherapy treatments as daycase patients. The clinical pharmacy service provision to patients receiving chemotherapy did not move with the patients from the inpatient to the daycase setting. The lack of clinical pharmacy provision to the day treatment unit (DTU) resulted in medicines wastage and an increase in nursing time to educate patients on their medication.
Purpose The pharmacy service to the DTU was reconfigured to provide a clinical pharmacy and medicines management service, and to dispense medicines as pre-packs at the patients’ bedside.
Materials and Methods One pharmacist and half of a technician were funded from cost savings to implement the new service. Medication record cards were developed for each supportive regimen as a counselling aid to patients. A patient satisfaction survey was undertaken prior to initiating the new service, and two months after initiation. Drug expenditure and medicine wastage savings were recorded prior to and two months after implementation of the service. A satellite pharmacy was set up to dispense medicines next to the DTU. A trolley was used to dispense pre-packs at the bedside. Data was collected prior to and two months after initiation of the new service to assess patient satisfaction, impact on nursing time, medicines wastage and savings.
Results It was anticipated that approximately £25,000 [€31,000] per month would be saved on medicines wastage. Patients were very satisfied with the new service. The service resulted in a reduction in nursing time of 37.5 hours/week. The results of the service impact after two months will be presented.
Conclusions The DTU pharmacy service ensures medicines optimisation, reduces medicines expenditure, and improves the quality of patient care. Patients receiving chemotherapy as inpatients always benefited from a clinical pharmacy service, so it is appropriate to provide this service in the day case setting.
No conflict of interest.