toh

At TOH, we never stop looking for innovative ways to improve the delivery of patient care. We constantly seek new ways to make the hospital experience of our patients and their families easier and more compassionate. In fact, we’re recognized leaders on many fronts.

As 2013 came to a close, we highlighted 12 game-changing ideas – we’re calling them “Big Ideas” – that have improved patient care or experience at TOH.

Here is the next Big Idea: Call cancer patients to check on adverse effects and adherence

What’s the Big Idea?

TOH Cancer Centre has developed a call-back program to reduce the risk of cancer outpatients receiving incorrect doses of oral chemotherapy medication. There was no such systematic program to check on patients before its introduction in February.

“Despite numerous benefits, oral chemotherapy drugs possess a narrow, dose-dependent safety margin which, along with complex dosing and a lack of effective safety checks, presents the opportunity for numerous safety-related challenges,” said Sean Hopkins, Pharmacy Professional Practice Coordinator at the Cancer Centre. “The call-back program addresses these issues by adding safety checks and follow-up calls to ensure that the patients are being treated safely and effectively at home.”

What’s the impact on patients?

Patients benefit from the extra check by a pharmacist with oncology-specific experience and knowledge. This helps reduce the risk of receiving the incorrect dose and ensures that drug interactions are evaluated. Patients are called about the same time that side effects are expected, ensuring they’re caught and dealt with before they get too severe. This allows the patient to remain on the therapy longer, potentially improving the outcome.

“Since February, more than 290 patients have been through this process of evaluation and counselling, with close to 530 call-backs,” said Hopkins. “Each pharmacist at the Cancer Centre has, to a degree, been involved in the initial assessment and call-backs for our cancer patients.”

Why should you care? 

Patients now have a way to have their prescriptions for oral chemotherapy checked by an oncology pharmacist and have any side effects prevented or managed as well. TOH has shared this very translatable project nationally at individual cancer centres and at oncology pharmacy conferences.

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