Improving Clinical Pharmacist Performance in Oncology Care Through Education on Pharmaceutical Care Plans Documentation: A Pre-post Interventional Study.

Abstract

Clinical pharmacists are vital in oncology care as they are involved in optimizing pharmaceutical care plans (PCPs). Their involvement in medication management and accurate documentation assists in the care of cancer patients. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a targeted educational intervention for clinical pharmacists on both the quantity and quality of PCP documentation, providing insights into optimizing pharmaceutical care within an oncology setting. A descriptive pre-post study was done at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore. Data on admitted patients' PCPs from November 2023 to March 2024 were collected from the Hospital Information System. PCP documentation was evaluated following the educational intervention on clinical pharmacy staff, and the improvement in the documentation among the specialties section was analyzed using a one-tailed t-test. The study assessed a total of 120 patients during the pre-intervention phase and 382 patients post-intervention. In the pre-intervention phase, the mean ± SD age of patients was 36.1 ± 20.1 years, with males constituting 57.5% and females 42.5%. Post-intervention, the mean ± SD age slightly increased to 37.3 ± 20.7 years, with a similar gender distribution of 58.9% males and 41.1% females. The intervention significantly increased the number of PCPs from 130 in the pre-intervention phase to 516 in the post-intervention phase, particularly in Adult Oncology (P = .0115) and Palliative Care (P = .0095). Post-intervention, a substantial enhancement in the documentation and management of PCPs was observed. The study demonstrates that structured educational interventions significantly enhance the clinical pharmacists' documentation of PCPs. By integrating targeted training with continuous reinforcement strategies, healthcare institutions can optimize pharmaceutical care processes, improve interdisciplinary collaboration, and ultimately enhance patient safety in oncology settings.