Introduction of Pharmaceutical Care and its Effects in Outpatients with Cancer Chemotherapy

Abstract

In recent years, cancer chemotherapy has been shifted from inpatients to outpatients. In outpatient cancer chemotherapy, patients manage side effects by themselves. Therefore, it is very important that pharmacists provide information of side effects to patients. In Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital, pharmaceutical care to all outpatients by pharmacists was started from October 2010. However, starting the service incurred some problems. One of them was understaffing. When we constructed a novel original outpatient chemotherapy system, the manpower shortage problem was dispelled. Throughout this service, various symptoms caused by chemotherapy were more significantly improved in intervention cases than in non-intervention cases. A medication leaflet was used when providing medical information for pharmaceutical care. It was also expected to provide information to medical facilities outside the hospital. We consider that the medical leaflet may contribute to promoting collaboration between hospital and community pharmacies.