Program Description
The landscape of cancer care continues to evolve with the availability of oral anticancer agents. Although oral oncolytics offer convenience for patients, they present complexities for clinicians involved in their management. Patients prescribed oral therapies may experience nonadherence and challenges with medication access, which can lead to higher cancer-related symptom burden and worsening quality of life. Patient populations from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are often not adequately represented in clinical trials, leading to health disparities in both treatment response and access to support resources once an oral treatment is prescribed. Oncology pharmacists are uniquely positioned to lead the management of patients receiving oral anticancer agents by providing patient-centered care that is focused on specifics of oral administration, potential adverse effects, and self-care measures. This article will address the types of disparities that exist when prescribing oral oncolytics and the impact of these disparities on treatment outcomes. Considerations for providing culturally competent and culturally responsive counseling based individual patient’s needs are important for pharmacists. This article will also review logistical considerations for administration and management of oral oncolytics.
Target audience: Health-system pharmacists, oncology pharmacists, and specialty pharmacists
Type of activity: Application
Release date: August 12, 2022
Expiration date: August 12, 2023
Time to complete activity: 2.0 hours
Fee: Free
Educational Objectives
At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Examine treatment disparities uniquely associated with oral oncolytics
- Explore clinical evidence outlining the negative impact of treatment disparities on patients receiving oral oncolytics
- Explain how factors such as complex administration, logistics, and reduced health care contact can create barriers for optimal treatment of patients prescribed oral oncolytics
- Identify barriers to oral oncolytic medication adherence for a patient with cancer based on patient- and disease-specific characteristics
GET STARTED WITH THIS PROGRAM:
Register now to gain access to this program.
Create AccountAlready Registered? Login Here
