When it comes to dispensing oral cancer medications, a few simple steps can make a world of difference in terms of safety. At the AONN+ 2023 Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX, Nora Hansen, CPhT, COPh, oncology pharmacy technician and patient benefit rep at Illinois Cancer Specialists, discussed the processes undertaken at her own institution to ensure safety when initiating, dispensing, and managing oral oncolytic therapy from the time a prescription is written until it’s in the patient’s hand.
The process begins when a doctor writes a prescription order and sends it to the pharmacy along with a chart message to the nursing team and the nurse navigator. This simultaneous collaboration allows for a streamlined approach to initiating authorizations while ensuring that everyone involved is aware of the patient’s treatment plan.
Nurse practitioners then take on the responsibility of educating patients about the prescribed medication.
“We let the nurse practitioners know when the drug is ready to go,” she said. “So the patient stops in our pharmacy, picks up the drug, goes right to the nurse practitioner, and is then taught how to take the drug with the drug in their hand.”
She noted that one advantage of community practices with the capability to dispense medications is their ability to provide one-on-one education directly at the pharmacy. This allows patients to receive hands-on guidance with tasks like inspecting the medication label and learning how to handle the drug (even seemingly simple things like learning how to open a blister pack), which fosters better understanding and adherence.
As patients approach the initiation of their oral oncolytic therapy, nurses and nurse navigators play a crucial role in ensuring they are well informed. This includes verifying the patient has the correct prescription, ensuring they know how and when to take it, educating them on strategies to manage their own side effects (including knowing when to call the office), and making sure they’re aware of any expectations for monitoring and laboratory appointments.
Finally, a significant touchpoint occurs when patients pick up their medications. Navigators should always make sure their patients read the medication label aloud to confirm they have the correct prescription and should consider updating their standardized work instructions to reflect the importance of this practice.
Collaboration and Resources
Although oral oncolytic nurse navigators play an important role in the proactive tracking of patients and assurance of patient adherence and safety, it’s important to note that, regardless of titles, all healthcare professionals are encouraged to play a proactive role in the care of patients on these medications.
Navigators are encouraged to utilize comprehensive educational resources, such as oral chemotherapy education sheets (oralchemoedsheets.com), produced through a collaborative effort between multiple organizations: the Association of Community Cancer Centers, the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA), and the Oncology Nursing Society.
“These are written on a patient level, so you don’t need a medical degree to read them,” Ms Hansen noted.
Additionally, NCODA offers complimentary resources, including oral oncolytic welcome letters and plan of care treatment guides for patients, new start checklists for nurses, and various templates that can be incorporated in the electronic medical record, all of which enhance patient care and help to streamline workflows. Finally, the Oncology Pharmacy Technician Association (OPTA) is a vital resource in the sharing of knowledge concerning oral oncolytics.
“You don’t have to be a pharmacy technician to join OPTA, but it’s a great place to share information,” she said.
In the ever-evolving and expanding world of oral oncolytics, effective communication between nurses, navigators, pharmacies, and entire healthcare teams will continue to be paramount to ensuring a safe and seamless approach to patient care.
To sign up for our newsletter or print publications, please enter your contact information below.
