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Clinical pharmacists' intervention on pain management in cancer patients (PharmaCAP trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Shrestha S 1 , Blebil AQ 2 , Teoh SL 3 , Sapkota S 4 , Kc B 3 , Paudyal V 5 Show all authors , Gan SH 3

Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. [email protected]
  • 2 School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. [email protected]
  • 3 School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Clinical Oncology, Kathmandu Cancer Center, Tathali, Bhaktapur, Bagmati Province, Nepal
  • 5 School of Pharmacy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Sir Robert Aitken Institute for Medical Research, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
J Pharm Policy Pract, 2023 Jan 24;16(1):14.
PMID: 36694232 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-022-00505-0

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based services to support cancer patients with pain via clinical pharmacy services are currently lacking. Therefore, there is a need to undertake a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to explore the effectiveness of clinical pharmacists (CPs)' input into the multidisciplinary team (MDT) in providing better therapeutic outcomes for cancer pain management.

OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this pilot RCT is to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of integrating CPs into the MDT for cancer pain management on the clinical outcomes of cancer patients experiencing pain.

METHODS: This study protocol outlines two-armed multicenter pilot RCT. Cancer patients suffering from pain will be randomly allocated to receive either clinical pharmacy services, i.e., PharmaCAP trial intervention from the CP, or the usual standard care (i.e., control group). Patients will be recruited consecutively from two hospitals in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. The outcomes will be assessed at baseline (pre-intervention) and 4 weeks post-intervention. The primary feasibility outcomes will include eligibility rate, recruitment rate, willingness to participate, acceptability of screening procedures and random allocation, possible contamination between the groups, intervention fidelity and compliance, treatment satisfaction, and patient understanding of the provided interventions. Subsequently, the primary clinical outcome, i.e., pain intensity of cancer patients, will be assessed. The secondary clinical outcomes will include health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, depression, adverse drug reactions, and patient medication compliance following the integration of CP into the healthcare team.

DISCUSSION: The feasibility and potential for integrating CP involvement in MDT to improve clinical outcomes of cancer patients with pain will be evaluated through the PharmaCAP trial.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05021393. Registered on 25th August 2022.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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