Pharmacist-led medication reconciliation in outpatients with breast cancer in a teaching hospital

Abstract

Objective: to define the pharmacotherapeutic profile, drug relaxants and pharmaceutical interventions, adverse reactions in patients with breast cancer using patented intravenous chemotherapy at the pharmaceutical drug conciliation service. Methods: characterized as a cross-sectional observational one. Data were collected from medication reconciliation forms and data from spreadsheets of the clinical pharmacy service. Results: 31 pharmaceutical drug reconciliations were conducted from September to October 2022, out of a total of 70 patients with breast cancer undergoing intravenous chemotherapy. Most patients, 97% (n=30) were women, with a mean age of 52.51 years. As for education, only 32.3% (n=10) had completed high school. The AC-T protocol (Doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel) was the most used (38.7% n=12). Most patients 67.7% (n=21) had other comorbidities, with arterial hypertension being the most common. The average number of medications in continuous use per patient was 3.38, with 45.2% (n=14) using 4 or more medications, which characterizes polypharmacy, in addition to the use of medicinal teas, which was identified in 50% (n =12) of patients. Discrepancies were found in these medication reconciliations in 83.9% (n=26) of the patients. In addition, 91 drug relaxants were observed, with an average of 2.9 relaxants per patient. Regarding pharmaceutical interventions, 24 possible interventions were identified, with an average of 0.77 interventions per patient. Most patients (61.3% n=19) had some adverse reaction since the last chemotherapy session. Conclusion: the results reinforce the importance of the pharmaceutical professional and medication reconciliation in outpatients, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of treatments.