Oncology Pharmacists Can Reduce the Projected Shortfall in Cancer Patient Visits: Projections for Years 2020 to 2025

Abstract

Based on the projected need for a larger oncology care workforce, we estimated the patient care visits and care activities that Board Certified oncology pharmacists (BCOPs) could contribute to oncology care from 2020–2025. Using projected counts for BCOPs through 2025, we estimated that 2.9–4.1 million 30-min BCOP patient visits were possible at 50% workforce capacity. BCOPs’ clinical activities overlapped strongly with those of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in patient education and treatment management. BCOPs could help reduce provider stress and burnout concerns by spreading these activities across a broader set of providers. BCOPs were more active than NPs and PAs in clinical trials research. Recent advances in immunotherapy, pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, and oral oncolytic agents make the medication-focused training of OPs particularly useful to care teams. Comparison also showed that BCOPs were less active in providing follow-up visits and prescribing. Fulfilling the projected BCOP numbers through 2025 will require continued growth in Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2) oncology pharmacy resident programs and on-the-job training programs. Our review of the trends in cancer incidence, mortality, and survivorship suggest a sustained need for the activities of BCOPs and other oncology care providers.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers toward Genetic Testing and Pharmacogenomics among Healthcare Workers in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A variety of studies echoed the role of pharmacists in leading the implementation of pharmacogenomics within their work settings [ 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Given the United Arab Emirates’ endeavors to follow a multidisciplinary approach for project implementation, ensuring harmony, commitment, and unity, including a large variety of healthcare worker specialties in our cohort was very important [ 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ].…”

A scoping review on the relationship between race/ethnicity and the receipt of supportive care medications during cancer treatment: Implications for the clinical pharmacist

“…While the demand for oncology services is steadily increasing, there is a projected shortage of oncology practitioners to address the demand. 36 Considering the cornerstone of supportive care and symptom management is pharmacotherapy, this provides an opportunity to elevate the pharmacist's role on the multidisciplinary team to further assist oncology practitioners to optimize patient health outcomes. Clinical pharmacists, including those with specialized training in oncology, are expertly trained to provide a plethora of services to cancer patients, including medication reconciliation, preparation and dispensing of chemotherapy, assisting in mitigating financial toxicity incurred by patients, monitoring drug‐drug and drug‐disease interactions, and providing patient education on medications.…”

“…Role of the clinical pharmacist in addressing disparities with the use of SCM among minority patient populationsWhile the demand for oncology services is steadily increasing, there is a projected shortage of oncology practitioners to address the demand 36. Considering the cornerstone of supportive care and symptom management is pharmacotherapy, this provides an opportunity to elevate the pharmacist's role on the multidisciplinary team to further assist oncology practitioners to optimize patient health outcomes.…”

Response to “State of Physician and Pharmacist Oncology Workforce in the United States in 2019”

“…Regarding capacity, the study by Shih et al identified 1,090 oncology pharmacists in 2019 while citing a 2014 estimate from ASHP of 1,863 BCOPs 6 (this 2014 estimate included non-US BCOPs). Meanwhile, a recent growth trend study by Knapp and Ignoffo 7 identified 2,761 US-based BCOPs in 2019. At the end of 2020, BPS records showed 3,074 BCOPs (data provided by BPS staff in January 2021).…”