DOI: https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.3455
The winner of the Distinguished Service Award (sponsored by Pharmascience Inc.) is Blair W Seifert (Saskatoon, SK).
The winner of the Hospital Pharmacy Student Award (co-sponsored by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists [CSHP] and the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns [CAPSI]) is Randilynne Urslak (Oxford Mills, ON).
Excellence in Pharmacy Practice — Interprofessional Collaboration Award
Sponsored by Teva Canada Limited
INvestigation of the impact of a Pharmacist in a Hospital At home Care Team (IN PHACT) (completed at Island Health, Victoria, BC)
Morgan E Patrick, Curtis K Harder, Sean P Spina
Excellence in Pharmacy Practice — Leadership Award
Sponsored by HealthPRO Procurement Services Inc.
Eco-Friendly Pharmacy Practices to Support a Sustainable Green Transition in Hospital Pharmacy (completed at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON)
Ariane Blanc, Nisha Varughese
Excellence in Pharmacy Practice — Patient Care Award
Sponsored by SteriMax Inc.
The Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre Oral Anticancer Medication (OAM) Program (completed at Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON)
Christine Peragine, Victoria Bugaj
ME Patrick1,2, CK Harder1,2, SP Spina1,2,3
1Island Health Authority, Victoria, BC
2UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vancouver, BC
3University of Victoria Health Information Sciences, Victoria, BC
KEYWORDS: hospital staffing, integrated healthcare, patient centered care, program evaluation, qualitative research
In November 2020, Island Health, with the support of the British Columbia Ministry of Health, introduced Hospital at Home (HaH) at Victoria General Hospital in Victoria, BC, Canada. Given the acuity of the patients anticipated to receive care through this model, questions arose about how the delivery of clinical pharmacy services that inpatients rely on could be included in the model. With limited supporting evidence for the inclusion of a clinical pharmacist, Island Health launched the HaH program with a clinical pharmacist who provides services 7 days a week during daytime hours.
To assess the impact of the HaH pharmacist on patient care, from the perspective of the pharmacists serving in this role, patients, caregivers and program stakeholders.
This prospective, observational mixed methods study was conducted from December 2021 to March 2022. Data collection involved the HaH pharmacist documenting daily clinical activities and resolved drug therapy problems, patients and caregivers completing a 4-question post-discharge phone survey, and program stakeholders completing a 9-question online survey and an optional 7-question interview.
It was found that one of the most significant roles the pharmacist plays is in identifying indications for medication therapy and making recommendations to initiate therapy where there is an absence. There was high congruence between patient, caregiver, and stakeholder perceptions that the HaH pharmacist positively impacts patient care within the Island Health model.
This study provides support for the integration of a dedicated clinical pharmacist in the HaH care model.
A Blanc1, J Cameron1, N Varughese1, R McKeague2, S Lin2, J Zebrowski2, R Pourziaei Manesh2, C Hoyte2, B Ballinger2, M Kronick2
1Department of Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON
2MBA Purple Consulting Team, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
KEYWORDS: eco-initiatives, green hospital pharmacy, pharmacy carbon footprint, sustainability, zero-waste, management
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) launched its “Kick the Carbon” strategy in 2021, aiming at reducing Green House Gases by 30% by 2025.
In 2021, CHEO pharmacy collaborated with the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management Consulting team to develop its own eco-initiative plan aligned with CHEO’s eco-responsible strategy.
The project included internal and external survey methods conducted in spring 2022. The former focused on operations of CHEO’s pharmacy including interviews of interdisciplinary stakeholders and a sustainability engagement survey. The latter employed a literature search, an external key stakeholders’ interviews and an Ontario hospital pharmacy survey on eco-initiatives. Data analysis used various management tools such as Input/Output Workflow, SWOT, Force Field Analysis.
The internal survey showed the main barriers to implementing green practices in hospital pharmacy were cost, complexity, and time, and that the three largest areas of waste were single use plastic, lack of awareness of green practices, and lights left on. The external survey showed that 94% of respondents had implemented fewer than 3 green practices in their workplace, with 64% implemented >2 years ago. Twenty-eight percent indicated these initiatives saved money, 26% had considered implementing eco-practices, and for 30% unevaluated programs was the main challenge. Seven pillars were identified as key for sustainability with implementing at least 3 for “green labelling”.
This interdisciplinary project highlights the need to further describe the Canadian hospital pharmacy landscape of eco-practices and to assess barriers and metrics for carbon footprint reduction. As such, our CHEO pharmacy team will conduct a REB approved National survey in winter 2023 to identify and evaluate hospital pharmacy past, current and future eco-initiatives, to assess knowledge and interest in this field, to develop a roadmap and to raise awareness for a better green transition of Canadian Hospital Pharmacies.
C Peragine1, V Bugaj1, S Singh1, C Sun1, G Choi1, J Chu1, C Mychaskiw1, B Lipman1, O Inaganti1, S Malladi1, N Nusrat1, T Jegatheswaran1, B Zhong1, B Liu1
1Odette Cancer Centre Department of Pharmacy, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON
KEYWORDS: Oral chemotherap*, oral anticancer*, pharmaceutical care, clinical pharmacy services, telepharmacy*, remote pharmacy service*, e-pharmacy*, oncology, pharmacy
Increased availability of oral anticancer medications (OAMs) created a paradigm shift in oncology that introduced new challenges to treatment access, placed additional burden on the patient and prescriber to coordinate care, and increased risk for medication non-adherence and severe toxicity. Recognizing the emergent issues associated with OAM therapies, the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre Pharmacy created an innovative program to optimize the clinical, and technical, medication-related support needed by OAM patients and prescribers.
OAM Program goals include: (1) coordinating timely and continuous OAM access; (2) improving OAM safety and effectiveness; (3) providing OAM information and education to patients, staff, and trainees; and (4) creating new knowledge on OAM-related practices, processes, and outcomes.
Dedicated pharmacy technicians liaise with prescribers, drug access navigators, and patient support programs to proactively resolve funding issues and facilitate timely medication access. Oncology pharmacists clinically verify each OAM order, perform drug-interaction analyses, and provide tailored education to optimize drug safety and adherence. The OAM Team has developed a variety of clinical tools to guide OAM management and ensures protocolized telephone follow-up for over 60 OAM agents.
The OAM Team has enhanced the care of 3007 Oncology patients since 2015 (1108 currently active). Patients of the OAM Program report high rates of satisfaction, excellent rates of medication adherence and reduced rates of grade 3–4 drug toxicities. OAM Program services optimize OAM distribution efficiency, improve patients’ ability to self-manage OAMs, and reduce the risk of severe side effects and unplanned breaks in therapy.
The OAM Program minimizes time-to-access OAM therapy, maximizes time on OAM therapy, and optimizes patient and prescriber convenience. The Program was identified as a Leading Practice in Cancer Care by Accreditation Canada in 2017 and is considered the gold standard / best-practice for OAM care among local oncology professionals.
Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, VOLUME 76, NUMBER 2, Spring 2023