Applying Cultural Humility to Challenging Cross-Cultural Family Meetings (SA507)

Abstract

Objectives 1. List new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012. For each drug, the participant will be able to describe the approved indication, unapproved uses of the medication, common adverse effects, and drug interactions. 2. For each new medication approved in 2012, describe the burden-to-benefit ratio and the role of the medication in caring for patients with advanced illness. 3. Analyze important drug alerts released by the FDA (Public Health Advisories) and their relevance to drug therapies commonly used in hospice and palliative care patients. Up to 100 new drugs are approved every year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some of these are new molecular entities and others are new formulations, new indications, generic drug approvals, or labeling revisions. Even if a drug is a ‘‘new’’ molecular entity, it may not be ‘‘improved’’ over molecular entities already commercially available. In caring for patients with advanced illnesses, practitioners must make prudent drug therapy choices. Part of this decision-making process is a careful assessment of the burden-to-benefit ratio, including the financial burden of using each medication. This concurrent session is a followup to previous years’ very popular updates on new drugs. For relevant drugs approved in 2012, participants will learn about the FDA-approved indication for using the medication, unapproved uses of the medication (particularly as it applies to palliative care patients), if it is a controlled substance and the schedule (if appropriate), adverse effects, major drug interactions, dosing, and financial implications of drug procurement and monitoring if relevant. Participants will learn what ‘‘NDA Chemical Type’’ (eg, new molecular entity, formulation, manufacturer, indication, or OTC switch) and ‘‘Review Classification’’ (priority, or standard review; orphan drug status) was assigned by the FDA. If available, participants will also learn the ‘‘new drug comparison rating’’ (1-5, 5 being highest in terms of drug importance). Most importantly, the participant will learn about the role of the new agent in caring for patients with advanced illnesses, and how this medication compares with medications already available. Public health advisories and drug-related rumors related to end-of-life care will also be discussed, and their impact on caring for palliative care patients. Inappropriate use of medications in hospice or palliative care patients may result in suboptimal symptom management. This is a session that every healthcare professional needs to attend!