Clinical pharmacy services in an ambulatory oncology clinic: Patient perception and satisfaction

Abstract

Introduction Studies have shown that patients rate pharmacists more favourably when the pharmacist expresses interest in the patient and attends to patients’ perspectives. There is limited available evidence evaluating both patient perception and satisfaction regarding clinical pharmacy services provided in an ambulatory oncology clinic. Methods This was a prospective mixed methods study involving surveys and patient interviews. Consenting participants completed a survey at their first visit evaluating their perceptions of the importance of the clinical pharmacy services offered in the ambulatory oncology clinic. They completed a second survey 6-8 weeks later to re-evaluate their perceptions and to measure satisfaction ratings. The final component of this study involved semi-structured one-on-one telephone interviews to gather qualitative data regarding the study objectives. Results A total of 35 participants completed the survey, of which eleven completed one-on-one patient telephone interviews. Patients perceived the clinical pharmacy services assessed as important to their care before receiving treatment. The ratings of the importance of the pharmacist in managing patients’ nausea/vomiting significantly decreased when remeasured, whereas the importance of meeting the pharmacist in the clinic significantly increased. The importance of the role of the pharmacist was highlighted in patient interviews as well: patients particularly valued the pharmacist’s initiative to meet them in the clinic, the education provided by pharmacist, and the pharmacist’s accessibility throughout treatment. Conclusions Overall, patients in the ambulatory oncology clinic perceived the services offered as important to their care and they were highly satisfied.

Development of a process map for the delivery of virtual clinical pharmacy services at Odette Cancer Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The important pharmacist role in providing patient-centered chemotherapy counseling and expert medication support has been consistently demonstrated. 19 , 22 With increasing adoption of virtual healthcare for oncology patients (not requiring physical assessment), pharmacists have an opportunity to lead/develop transcendent strategies to encompass these modalities into their clinical workflow.…”

Patients Satisfaction with Pharmaceutical Care and Associated Factors in the Southwestern Ethiopia

“…This finding is consistent with a study reported in Canada that patients have valued the pharmacist's initiative to meet them in the clinic, the education provided by pharmacist, and the pharmacist's accessibility throughout treatment. 39,[41][42][43] On the other hand, around 44% of patients were not satisfied with PC service. This patient dissatisfaction may be due to lack of particular clinical pharmacist assignment, history of previous admission, number of medications taken per day and length of hospital stay.…”

Patient satisfaction with clinical pharmacy services and the affecting factors: a literature review

“…Study conducted in Canada in 2021 on 35 patients experiencing anticancer therapy showed very high patient satisfaction with counseling services, where the average satisfaction score was 5.90-6.70 out of 7 possibilities (Munro et al 2021). Patient satisfaction is based on indicators of comfort during counseling, ease of delivery of treatment information, and good communication between patients and pharmacists (Munro et al 2021).…”

“…Study conducted in Canada in 2021 on 35 patients experiencing anticancer therapy showed very high patient satisfaction with counseling services, where the average satisfaction score was 5.90-6.70 out of 7 possibilities (Munro et al 2021). Patient satisfaction is based on indicators of comfort during counseling, ease of delivery of treatment information, and good communication between patients and pharmacists (Munro et al 2021). The pharmacist provided the majority of respondents with all of the information they required, and the interview left them extremely satisfied with their relationships with oncology pharmacists: the feeling of being supported by the pharmacist may not only improve emotional well-being but also improve the quality of care received if patients communicate with pharmacists about emerging issues and adhere to recommended pharmaceutical treatments (Munro et al 2021).…”

“…Patient satisfaction is based on indicators of comfort during counseling, ease of delivery of treatment information, and good communication between patients and pharmacists (Munro et al 2021). The pharmacist provided the majority of respondents with all of the information they required, and the interview left them extremely satisfied with their relationships with oncology pharmacists: the feeling of being supported by the pharmacist may not only improve emotional well-being but also improve the quality of care received if patients communicate with pharmacists about emerging issues and adhere to recommended pharmaceutical treatments (Munro et al 2021). In addition, previous study conducted on 62 female patients in a rheumatology clinic showed high patient satisfaction with indicators of providing information, service techniques, ethical competence, and good communication by pharmacists to patients (Hall et al 2017).…”