Oncology pharmacy practice in a teaching hospital in Nepal

Personalized or unified approach in the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in patients with malignant neoplasms of the head and neck organs: the choice of the optimal solution

Introduction. The prevalence of oncological diseases of the oropharyngeal region continues to grow steadily, but there is an increase for a number of nosologies in the five-year survival rate of this category of patients, which naturally leads to the actualization of accompanying treatment programs and the desire to improve the quality of life of oncological patients. One of the areas of maintenance therapy in oncology is dental support, the choice of approaches and methods of which is not systematically organized.

Aim. To determine the optimal method of dental support for patients with malignant neoplasms of the head and neck organs for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis.

Materials and methods. At the Russian Scientific Center of Roentgenoradiology, retrospective analysis of scientific clinical results of oral mycosis treatment in patients with malignant tumors of the head and neck receiving antitumor therapy was performed.

Results. Two main approaches have been identified for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in patients with malignant neoplasms of the head and neck organs: personalized and unified approach. using personalized approach, maximal mean value of oral mycosis severity during the whole antitumor treatment period per the Radiation therapy Oncology group (RTOg) classification was 2.19 ± 0.13. The quality of life of patients is reduced by 26.1 %. using unified approach, maximal mean value of oral mycosis severity during the whole antitumor treatment period per the RTOg classification was 2.44 ± 0.05. The quality of life of patients is reduced by 51.5 %, but at the same time, absolutely all patients retain the ability to eat independently and take care of the oral cavity.

Conclusion. Both personalized and unified approaches for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis are possible for use in clinical practice.

Reintroduction of Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD, Post-Bac) Program in Nepal: Exploration of the Obstacles and Solutions to Move Forward

This commentary article highlights the status of clinical pharmacy education in Nepal, explores the challenges and solutions in sustainably reintroducing Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD, Post-Bac) in Nepal, as was previously launched by Kathmandu University (KU) Department of Pharmacy in 2010, and suggests a few prospects forward. Clinical pharmacy practice has remained on the sidelines and subordinate to physicians in Nepal. KU launched the PharmD (Post-Bac.) as a postgraduate program to establish the professional identity of clinical pharmacists in the country. However, despite unremitting efforts, the program did not thrive long and held since 2014. This paper aimed to explore challenges that remained at the forefront of the program and provide possible solutions for its reintroduction. The KU produced three batches of PharmD Post-Bac. graduates and now the revival of the program is crucial. Undoubtedly, a well-trained clinical preceptor can bring significant changes in the quality and competency of the PharmD graduates. Advocacy programs to foster the role of clinical pharmacists in the patient care services and revisiting of Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) curriculum to complement the necessity of the PharmD program are needed. The non-sustenance of the PharmD program is emblematic of the dire mosaic that the clinical pharmacists are facing while delivering patient-oriented services in the country. Hence, strategies need to be formulated for the revival and sustainability of the program.

Clinical Pharmacy Education and Practice in Nepal: A Glimpse into Present Challenges and Potential Solutions

This commentary article highlights the challenges in providing clinical pharmacy education in Nepal and suggests a few ways forward. Contrary to other health care professions, clinical pharmacy practice is a new healthcare discipline in the country which is currently undergoing transition. The existing pharmacy curriculum and training in the country can provide competencies needed for pharmacists in industrial settings. Considering the importance of clinical pharmacists in patient care, the Government of Nepal has implemented a policy recommending the recruitment of clinical pharmacists in hospitals. However, the education and training for pharmacists provided in the country are not sufficient enough for optimum patient care and for delivering clinical pharmacy services. International collaborations in terms of faculty and student exchanges, preceptor training, and accreditation by international organizations such as Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), establishment of need-based curriculum, incorporating clinical pharmacy department under the organizational structure of hospitals, etc., may be the right approaches to improve the current status of clinical pharmacy education in the country.

Bibliometric analysis of adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance research activities in Nepal

Background:

Bibliometric analyses have been used previously to study the measures of quality and impact of research performed in several health-related areas such as adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and pharmacovigilance (PV), etc. This method can assess the research performance of publications quantitatively and statistically. There is no evidence of bibilometric studies analyzing ADRs and PV from Nepal. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess scientific output on ADRs and PV-related research activities in Nepal using a bibliometric analysis of publications from 2004 January to December 2018, that is, 15 years.

Methods:

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus and Nepal Journal Online (NepJOL) databases. ‘Adverse Drug Reactions‘ or ‘ADRs‘ or ‘ADR‘ or ‘Adverse drug reaction‘ or ‘AE‘ or ‘Adverse Event‘ or ‘Drug-Induced Reaction‘ or ‘Pharmacovigilance‘ or ‘PV‘ and ‘Nepal‘. The search covered 15 years (January 2004 to December 2018) of study on ADRs and PV in Nepal. Only articles retrieved from databases were included, whereas published/unpublished drug bulletins, pharmacy newsletters and thesis were excluded. The articles thus retrieved were recorded, and thereafter analyzed. Word count code was used for the analysis of keywords used in the retrieved articles.

Results:

A total of 124 articles were retrieved, with the highest rate of publications in 2006 and 2007, with 16 papers each. Among the articles, 10 (8.1%) were published in Kathmandu University Medical Journal (KUMJ). Single papers were published in 38 different journals. Brief reports (1.6%), case reports (31.2%), case series (0.8%), education forums (0.8%), letters to the editor (5.6%), original research articles (41.9%), review articles (9.7%), short communications and short reports (8.1%) on ADRs and PV were recorded. Out of 124 papers, 52 (41.9%) were original research publications. The majority (74.1%) of research was done in the category of ADR incidence, types, prevention, and management, followed by policy and suggestions for strengthening national and regional pharmacovigilance centers of Nepal (14.5%).

Conclusions:

During the study years, there was an increase in scientific publications on drug safety. A total of 124 published articles were found during bibliometric analysis of ADRs and PV research activities in Nepal.

Overview, Challenges and Future Prospects of Drug Information Services in Nepal: A Reflective Commentary

Drug information center (DIC) or Medicine information services provides impartial, well-referenced, critically evaluated, updated information on various aspects of medications to healthcare professionals and consumers. Medicine information services also contribute to the minimization of medication errors by promoting medication education and supporting pharmaceutical services. The main objective of this reflective commentary is to highlight the recent scenario of medicine information services in Nepal, challenges for DIC, how DICs can be strengthened and future perspectives of DIC. The availability of medicine information in various online drug information sites and numerous applications (apps) have made it easier to assess the information in the country such as Nepal. However, the reliability and validity of such information should be considered before dissemination. DIC plays a crucial role in improving drug safety by aiding clinicians in safer use of medications and promoting adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting in Nepal. Financial support for operating the DIC efficiently is scarce in Nepal resulting in operational problems. The performance of the medicine information services in the country should be evaluated periodically to ensure the good quality of the service. Steps should be taken by the government, private hospitals and regulatory bodies to sustain the already established DIC and to establish additional DICs in the future to provide quality health care service to the community.

The Unmet Need for Pharmacists as Important Members of the Emergency Department Team in Resource-Limited Settings: A Case of Nepal

Background: The role of pharmacists in many developed countries has evolved from the traditional practice of dispensing medicines to contributing directly or indirectly to improve patient health outcomes. They are providing hospital services and patient care including services in the emergency department (ED). However, there is limited evidence for pharmacist involvement in the ED from resource-limited countries such as Nepal. Objective: The aim of this study is to discuss the role of pharmacists and highlight the unmet need of pharmacists in ED in Nepal. Methods: A narrative review of existing literature was conducted. Results: The status of ED services in Nepalese hospitals is not yet at a desirable level, and there is limited information about the role of pharmacists in EDs. Evidence obtained from developed nations on the role of pharmacists in EDs suggests that they help in improving patient outcomes by minimizing medication errors, adverse drug reactions, and enhance patient care. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for pharmacists in EDs in resource-limited settings. There is limited evidence of pharmacists' role in EDs from Nepal. Therefore, this study suggests a need for further studies on the possible contribution of pharmacists to ED services in Nepal.

Can clinical pharmacists bridge a gap between medical oncologists and patients in resource-limited oncology settings? An experience in Nepal

The clinical pharmacist's part is emerging as a key extension to the human services care team bringing about enhanced patient care in the world. The main objective of this article is to highlight the role of clinical pharmacist in an oncology setting of Nepal. An enrollment of clinical pharmacist in an oncology hospital or in oncology settings can work as a bridge between medical oncologist and patients.

The need for community pharmacists in oncology outpatient care: a systematic review

Background One-third of all deaths in Europe each year are attributable to cancer. Issues relating to cancer care, therefore, will continue to expand. To manage the increased challenges-including doctor shortages, an ageing population, and rural distribution of supplies-community pharmacists will likely be required to assume responsibility within oncology care. Aim of the review To assess the need for further investigation into quantity and utility of community pharmacists' interventions in assisting oncology outpatients. Methods Initial search terms for identifying relevant literature within the PubMed database were informed by four key questions. Study selection for the systematic review was performed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, which were defined a priori using the PICO tool. Literature searches identified 2470 papers, for which titles and abstracts were reviewed. Of these, 220 papers were retained for detailed analysis. The full texts of these manuscripts were then screened by applying the inclusion criteria. The remaining 68 papers were included in the systematic review. Results Several models of pharmacists' interventions in inpatient, medium, and outpatient care have proven to be successful, have been consistently efficacious, and have positively influenced patient outcomes. Importantly, the quantity of scientific research, and thus of reported beneficial outcomes, in outpatient care is much lower than that conducted for inpatient and medium care. Conclusion Based on our findings, we suggest that further investigation of community pharmacists' interventions into oncology outpatient assistance is necessary, and that further research should be conducted to address this need.

Adherence and non-adherence to treatments: focus on pharmacy practice in Nepal

Nepal is one of the developing countries having many limitations in providing the quality health services to its population. In many countries, improvement in patients' adherence to the pharmacotherapy had been one of major outcome of quality pharmaceutical services. Till date, very less thing has been done in this area in Nepal; so it seems mandatory to improve the patient adherence to the treatment plans. Adherence to the medical therapy can be explained by the extent of the behavioral coincidence to the medication and non-medication regimen by a patient whereas compliance and concordance are two different models of patient adherence to the therapy. Compliance model suggests that patients have been brought responsible for being unable to follow 'doctor's order and concordance tempts to measure the degree of agreement between patient and his or her clinician about the nature of illness and the best possible therapy for the welfare of the patient. Non-adherence to the therapy may lead to different problems as consequences of non-adherence in four different level- individual, institutional, societal and national levels. Although some programs like, "Direct Observation Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) for tuberculosis, implementation of antiretroviral treatment schedules for HIV patients and pediatric vaccination models," are the examples of attention towards the cases of noncompliance in Nepal. It has long been faced its limitations in the forms of either untrained manpower or lack of good documentation of patients' adherence to therapy or high illiteracy rate or unaffordibility of patients to their treatment or lack of pharmaceutical care services.

International telepharmacy education: another venue to improve cancer care in the developing world

OBJECTIVE

In developed countries, pharmacists play a crucial role in designing and implementing cancer treatments as part of a multidisciplinary oncology team. However, developing countries have a shortage of pharmacists, and their role is generally limited to dispensing and selling drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of providing clinical pharmacy educational activities via international teleconferencing to improve cancer care in developing countries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Meticulous preparation and intense promotion of the workshop were done in Egypt before the telepharmacy conferences began. Multiple connectivity tests were performed to resolve technical problems. Nine telepharmacy conferences were delivered during 3-h sessions that were held on three consecutive days. Talks were subsequently made available via Web streaming. Attendees were requested to complete a survey to measure their satisfaction with the sessions.

RESULTS

The teleconference was attended by a total of 345 persons, and it was subsequently reviewed online via 456 log-in sessions from 10 countries. Technical issues (e.g., poor auditory quality) were resolved on the first day of the event. The rate of attendees' responses on the survey was 30.1%, and satisfaction with the event was generally good.

CONCLUSIONS

Telecommunication is a relatively inexpensive approach that may improve pharmacy practices, especially those used to treat patients with cancer in developing countries. Special attention to patient-based telepharmacy education, including the use of cost-effective technology, should be considered.