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Rationale: In the Collaborative Network To Take Responsibility for Oral Anticancer Therapy (CONTACT) project, an evidence‐based and patient‐centred care(PCC) pathway was implemented in 12 oncology departments in Flanders. The care pathway was developed in cocreation by an interdisciplinary project team, and tailored to the local hospital context. Aims and Objectives: In this study, the impact of the care pathways on quality of PCC and other patient outcomes was investigated. Method: A pre−posttest study was performed in nine of the participating oncology departments. The primary outcome was quality of PCC. Furthermore, level of patient self‐management, medication adherence, satisfaction with information about the oral anticancer drug and quality of life were measured as secondary outcomes. Linear mixed models were used to investigate differences in outcomes between the pre‐ and posttest group. Results: Quality of PCC, as well as all secondary outcomes improved after implementation of the care pathway. However, the changes in pre‐ and posttest scores were not significant. The overall quality of PCC increased from 3.72 to 3.88, measured on a five‐point Likert scale (p = 0.124). Conclusion: This study showed small, however, no significant improvements in the quality of PCC and other patient outcomes. The lack of significant changes can be attributed to the complexity of the care pathway development, poor or unstable implementation of the care pathway and limited changes in follow‐up care. More insight in the actual implementation of the care pathway and potential contextual factors influencing its effect is needed to help understand the outcomes of this pre−posttest study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of parents handling oral anticancer drugs in a home setting. Methods: Parents of children with cancer were recruited from a paediatric oncology ward in Sweden to participate in an interview. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to qualitative content analysis. Results: We found the following categories and subcategories: parents' views on the provided information—lack of, too little or contradictory information, and parents' preferences for information delivery; safety over time; correct drug dose; and drug administration. As time passed, most parents adapted to their child's illness, felt safer and found it easier to take in and process any given information. Parents preferred information in different formats (written, movie clips and orally) and in their mother tongue. Many parents were aware of the importance of giving an accurate dose to their child and described the process of drug administration as overwhelming. Conclusion: Parents need to be provided with accurate, timely, nonconflicting and repeated information—in different forms and in their mother tongue—on how to handle oral anticancer drugs at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Instruments to measure quality of patient‐centred care (PCC) for the rapidly growing population of patients treated with oral anticancer drugs (OACD) are lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess PCC in the context of OACD. Methods: The CONTACT–Patient‐Centred Care Questionnaire (CONTACT‐PCCQ) was developed based on a validated set of key elements (KEs) for patient‐centred education and counselling in patients taking OACD, and face validity was evaluated by means of cognitive interviews. In 16 Belgian hospitals, adult patients treated with OACD were asked to complete the questionnaire. Construct validity was investigated through exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) and internal consistency of the subscales was examined using Cronbach's alpha. Results: The initial 86‐item instrument was completed by 464 patients. Each EFA confirmed the a priori PCC‐based structure of the subscales. However, EFA revealed more than one factor for two of the subscales. Therefore, multiple subsections within these subscales were created. Based on factor loadings and item content, six items were removed. This resulted in a final 80‐item instrument with seven subscales and five subsections. Cronbach's alpha for the subscales and subsections ranged between 0.732 and 0.918, which implies adequate internal consistency. Conclusion: A final instrument with 80 items divided into seven subscales, covering all six dimensions of PCC, was obtained. The CONTACT‐PCCQ has acceptable psychometric properties, supporting its use as a measure to assess care experiences of patients treated with OACD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncology pharmacists face a constant challenge with patients who cannot swallow oral anticancer drugs, making extemporaneous oral liquid preparation a requirement. Improper extemporaneous preparation of these agents, especially with the traditional chemotherapy with a narrow therapeutic index, may increase the risk of over- or underdosing. In community pharmacies, multiple barriers exist that prevent these pharmacies from preparing extemporaneous oral anticancer drug formulations for a patient's use at home. In a home setting, patients or caregivers without proper counseling and education on how to safely handle chemotherapy are at increased risk for exposure to these drugs. Based on a review of the literature, compounding recipes are available for 46% of oral anticancer agents. A paucity of data exists on dose uniformity, bioequivalence, and stability of extemporaneous oral liquid formulations of anticancer drugs. Pharmacists must have an understanding of the basic scientific principles that are an essential foundation for the proper preparation of extemporaneous oral anticancer liquid formulations. The collaborative effort of a multidisciplinar team can also help identify different barriers in the community setting especially in areas where community pharmacies may lack resources for the extemporaneous compounding of oral chemotherapy, and to find ways to coordinate better pharmaceutical care. There are great opportunities for oncology pharmacists, as well as community pharmacists, as a resource for educating and monitoring patients receiving oral chemotherapy to ensure dosing accuracy, safe administration, and proper disposal of hazardous drugs. Development of national guidelines to promote standards of practice in the community and/or home setting is urgently needed to help improve the safety of dispensing and handling oral chemotherapeutic agents, including extemporaneously compounded oral liquid formulations of these drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]