Objective: The use of multiple medications in cancer patients is unavoidable; thus, adverse drug-drug interactions are frequent. This study aims to assess the prevalence of potential drug interactions in oncology patients visiting the outpatient chemotherapy unit. Method: Demographic and health-related information of patients visiting an outpatient chemotherapy unit was recorded using a pre-prepared form. A comprehensive list of all concurrently used medications was compiled and checked for interactions with the Micromedex online drug interaction tool. Results: A total of 179 adult patients were included. We recorded an average of 9.3 drugs per patient with 79 patients using more than 10 drugs. A total of 1671 drugs including 303 chemotherapeutic agents were assessed for drug-drug interactions. A total of 374 interactions, of which 203 were significant, were recorded in 118 (65.9%) patients with an average of 3.2 interactions per patient. Only 46 major interactions were recorded for anticancer agents. Cyclophosphamide (n=13) and cisplatin (n=12) were involved in most interactions. The number of interactions correlated with the number of drugs used (p=.001) and the presence of comorbidities (p=.002). The presence of comorbidities increased the risk of interaction by 1.21 (p=.04). Recorded side effects were not correlated to drug interactions. Conclusion: Medication review in cancer patients is essential in establishing all medications used by patients. Routine assessment in terms of potential drug interactions and evaluation of these interactions by a qualified pharmacist may help in optimizing patient outcomes.
Introduction The complexity of treatment and extended therapy duration associated with bone marrow transplantation directly affect the psychological well-being of the patients, create anxiety, and reduce their quality of life. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients admitted to the bone marrow transplantation unit. Methods This prospective and descriptive study was conducted between January and June 2021 in an adult BMT unit in Turkey. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patients were recorded. The patient's quality of life was measured twice using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT) scale at the beginning of the study and 30 days later. SPSS 15 was used for the analysis. Results A total of 40 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 46 years. Most of the patients were diagnosed with multiple myeloma and 58% had at least one comorbid disease. Most of the patients (78%) were receiving myeloablative therapy. High dose melphalan regimen was the most commonly applied regimen (25%). Thrombocytopenia was the most common side effect (14%). Although there was no change in the quality of life, it was found that the social/family well-being scores increased ( p < 0.05). Conclusions In our study, it was observed that the number of comorbid diseases was higher in patients with bone marrow transplantation. The incidence of side effects may be high in these patients. We believe that clinical pharmacists have an important role in monitoring adverse effects and improving the quality of life in bone marrow transplantation units.
Objective: Our study aimed to assess the role of pre-graduate pharmacy students' participation in a diabetic education program on improving diabetic self-care.Material and Method: This study included both a cross-sectional and a longitudinal follow-up. Altinbas University fifth-year pharmacy students gathered relevant information from diabetic patients that visited community pharmacies, under the supervision of their instructor pharmacist. The participants filled out the diabetic self-care scale on their first visit before they were given the education. Patients refilled the same selfcare questionnaire after three months. Statistical package for the social science (SPSS) 26 was used for all statistical analysis.Result and Discussion: The study comprised 86 diabetic patients. The second questionnaire results showed significant improvement in all patients. The total diabetic self-care scale scores were improved remarkably after the training session. HbA1c and BMI values decreased significantly. An educational program can improve diabetic self-care and diabetic outcomes. Active participation of final year pharmacy students in patient care can also improve pharmacists' participation and contribution to patient care delivery.
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