PS-037 Drug related problems in oncohaematologic outpatients included in clinical trials

Abstract

Background Lack of knowledge about their treatment is one of the main elements leading to an inappropriate use of medicines by patients. When starting a clinical trial, outpatients receive a large amount of information, which is sometimes difficult to understand. Purpose To quantify and to analyse drug related problems (DRPs) in Oncohaematology outpatients included in clinical trials and to measure their knowledge about the treatment. Material and methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2014 in a general hospital. Oncohaematology outpatients starting treatment with oral investigational products (IPs) or who had been taking the treatment less than three months from the time of inclusion in the study were selected. The variables collected were: age, sex, diagnosis, department, previous participation in clinical trials, prescribed medicines, DRPs, knowledge about their treatment and pharmaceutical interventions. Results 26 outpatients were included, 19 (73.1%) were females, and mean age 59.8. 84.6% belonged to the Oncology department. The main diagnosis was breast cancer: 11 (42.3%) patients. At the time of recruitment, 15 (57.7%) patients started treatment with IPs and 5 (19.2%) had previously participated in another clinical trial. 109 drugs were evaluated, 32 (29.3%) were IPs. 10 DRP were detected in 7 (26.9%) patients. 6 (60%) of the DRPs detected were due to the IP. The most frequent DRPs were due to interactions [4 (40%)] and adverse events [4 (40%)]. Others were related to erroneous prescribing and incorrect self-administration. Mean DRPs per patient was 0.38. Prevalence of DRPs in outpatients starting treatment was 26.7%. We performed 23 pharmaceutical interventions, 18 (78.3%) were on information about treatment. Regarding the whole sample, the average score on the test of knowledge was 6.5/10, whereas in outpatients starting treatment it was 6.0/10. Conclusion The high incidence of DRPs detected emphasises the necessity for Pharmaceutical Care programs to adequately inform patients included in clinical trials, and to prevent and detect DRPs, especially when starting new treatments. References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.