New and emerging therapies for relapse/refractory multiple myeloma: Impact of education on practice behaviors.

Abstract

e18096 Background: Newly approved and emerging agents with novel mechanisms of action present unique challenges to treating patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), including keeping abreast of rapid and ever-aggregating data on their safety, tolerability and efficacy. To address these challenges, an education activity focused on new and emerging therapies for RRMM was developed and learner responses were evaluated to determine the impact of education. Methods: A live-online 1-hour video panel discussion with slides, polling, and live questions was produced in 2016 and made available on-demand at OMedLive.com for 6 months. Survey responses (pre-, post-, 8 weeks post-activity), polling responses, and live questions asked were tracked to measure engagement, lessons learned, and additional education gaps. Results: 51 of 288 learners completed all pre/post/follow-up surveys, 67% of which reported the activity positively impacted patient experience or outcome and 61% reported it positively impacted their clinical practice. These learners reported improvements in their ability to: assess the relative safety and efficacy of emerging agents (50%), differentiate available agents and their relative efficacy (50% with proteasome inhibitors, 39% with monoclonal antibodies), see the potential benefit of HDAC inhibitors (35%), use combination regimens (29%), and adjust treatments for patients who’ve experienced disease progression (29%). As the result of education, 95 of 288 learners reported commitments to change in regards to: medical/practice knowledge (95%), care attitudes (89%), practice behavior (76%), and patient clinical outcomes (81%). Learners also demonstrated improved competence via a case scenario which required identifying the optimal next step for a patient with biochemical progression, and improved knowledge on the characteristics of daratumumab, elotuzumab, and selinexor. Conclusions: New and emerging therapies promise to improve the lives of patients with RRMM, but complicates the already difficult task of managing the disease. Ongoing education on RRMM is recommended and can yield immediate and sustained gains in knowledge, competence, and performance.