Authors (including presenting author) :
Yuen CM(1), Koo SYC(1), Tsui YTC(1), Leung NTK(1), Lam KM(1), Chui CM(1), Wong SY(1), Yuen KK(2), Chan T(3)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Pharmacy, Queen Mary Hospital, (2) Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital, (3) Department of Anaesthesiology, Queen Mary Hospital
Introduction :
Pain remains one of the most challenging complications associated with cancer patients, in which 30%-90% of cancer patients will experience pain at some point. Poor understanding of pain medications and inability to describe their pain can lead to poor pain management and affect quality of life. Clinical Pharmacist involved in pain clinic has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with chronic pain. This pilot study is to evaluate the impact of Clinical Pharmacists in cancer pain management.
Objectives :
1. To assess the impact of Clinical Pharmacists in cancer pain management
2. To optimise patient pharmaceutical care by Clinical Oncologist and Clinical Pharmacist multidisciplinary approach
3. To evaluate patient’s perception towards Clinical Pharmacist in pain clinic
Methodology :
Patient who were referred to pain clinic from May 2019 to May 2020 were recruited in the study. Patients recruited were randomised into either intervention or control group, and were seen by Clinical Pharmacists for three consecutive consultations during the study period. All patients were asked to report the Numeric Pain Intensity Scale (NPIS) score during each consultation. Education on analgesics with information booklet was provided to the intervention group only. Number of interventions and acceptance rate were also analysed within the intervention group. For satisfaction survey, a questionnaire with 4 questions in 5-point scale was adopted. The descriptive data were presented as mean value.
Result & Outcome :
At the time of analysis, a total of 30 patients were recruited, of which 15 completed the study. Reasons for dropout included death and cessation of pain clinic follow-up. The mean NPIS score change in intervention group was -2.25 and -1.5 for control group (95% CI -4.55 to 3.05, P=0.661). The intervention acceptance rate by Oncologists was 70%; and the mean patient satisfaction score was 4.6 out of 5 points.
