engleski

Evaluation of pharmacist counseling on oncology patients

More than half of oncology patients occasionally or continuously take different non-prescription medications and / or dietary supplements. Apart from the fact that the latter burdens budget of the patients and their families, administration of drug combinations and various dietary supplements without supervision by healthcare professionals can lead to unwanted reactions and side effects that may delay oncology therapy. This brings into question the outcome and success of the oncology treatment and impairs quality of patient life. The role of Oncology Pharmacist at Oncology Clinics has not yet been sufficiently recognized in the region. In the Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, in the University Hospital for Tumors, the Pharmacist is implemented as an indispensable member of the multiprofesional team, where the first infirmary in Croatia of The Pharmacist counseling on oncology patients was established. In order to evaluate the work of an oncological pharmacist, it is necessary to find patterns on the basis of evaluation of such work in countries that already have an established system. The Pharmacist counseling of oncology patients is being performed at the University Hospital for Tumors since November 2015. Counseling is intended for all oncology patients, their family members, or caregivers who want to be educated on oncology therapy, non-prescription drugs and dietary supplements. Counseling is carried out with the aim of: preventing medication errors and drug interactions, adjustment of therapy, patients counseling how to properly take their prescribed therapy, patients counseling about potential side effects of oncological therapy, education on the necessity of strict control of taking dietary supplements. There are many papers that have proven that the pharmacist counseling is cost-effective. By researching scientific and professional literature on the evaluation of counseling by oncology pharmacists, we have come up with a form that would serve as a pattern for developing a national model for evaluation of work. The experience of the infirmary of The Pharmacist counseling on oncology patients of the University Hospital for Tumors, Zagreb, and the form of a model for evaluating the work of Oncology Pharmacist in the Republic of Croatia will be presented.

oncology pharmacist ; counseling ; oncology patients

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