barnstorming, directing, producing: integration of a clinical pharmacist across the full spectrum of...

Vol. 43 No. 2 February 2012 365Schedule With Abstracts

evaluate and address them. Specifically, we willfocus on the challenges of pain management, be-havioral disturbances, and caregiver burden. Thegoal will be to enhance participants’ skills in pro-viding comprehensive palliative care to olderadults who have dementia but are dying of an-other terminal disease process.

SIG Symposia

Barnstorming, Directing, Producing:Integration of a Clinical Pharmacist Acrossthe Full Spectrum of Palliative CareServices (341)Program Chiefs SIGPamela Moore, PharmD BCPS, Summa HealthSystem and Akron City Hospital, Akron, OH.Steven Radwany, MD FACP FAAHPM, SummaHealth System, Akron, OH.(All authors listed above for this session have dis-closed no relevant financial relationships.)

Objectives1. Compare clinical pharmacist goals of care with

HospiceMedicareConditions of Participation.2. Create a cost-benefit analysis for initially in-

corporating a palliative care pharmacist intheir program and the subsequent role ofthe clinical pharmacist across the full spec-trum of palliative care.

3. Describe the team, patient-centered, andprogram outcomes of having a clinical phar-macist integrated into hospice and palliativecare interdisciplinary care teams.

This presentation will focus on the role, bene-fits, outcomes, and costs of providing active clin-ical pharmacist involvement across the entirespectrum of interdisciplinary teams in an inte-grated hospice and palliative care (HPC) pro-gram. Given the burdens of illness, frailty, andpolypharmacy borne by HPC patients, medica-tion side effects, interactions, and cost becomecentral concerns. Palliative care and pharmaceu-tical care both focus on achieving the best qual-ity of life for patients and families in the settingof their choice. Incorporating a pharmacist di-rectly into the interdisciplinary care of HPC pa-tients across all sites of care is a logical step inthe comprehensive management of symptomsin a safe and cost-effective manner. Presenterswill describe how a pharmacist can be success-fully integrated into the care of patients acrossthe full spectrum of HPC services including

inpatient and extended care facility palliativecare consult services, an inpatient acute pallia-tive care unit, a palliative care outpatient clinicand home, and long term careebased hospicecare. The pharmacist serves as a resource fordrug information in this patient population forwhich evidence-based guidelines are limited andwhere reliable routes of medication administra-tion change frequently. The pharmacist workswith physician and nurse members of the inpa-tient and outpatient services to capitalize on avail-able evidence to develop and revise cost-effectiveand consistent medication options for inpatientand outpatient symptommanagement protocols.Central to the pharmacist role is patient, staff, andphysician education and collaboration regardingthe safe and effective use of medications whichmay be off-label and outside the comfort level ofhealthcare providers and caregivers. Outcomespresented will include job descriptions, net costsavings achieved, protocols developed, and staffsatisfaction with the program. Presenters willalso advocate for expanding specificHPC trainingand certification programs for pharmacists.

Chemotherapy in the Last Two Weeksof Life: When Is It Appropriate? WhenIs It Not Appropriate? (342)Cancer SIGEric Prommer, MD FAAHPM, Mayo Clinic,Phoenix, AZ. Sydney Dy, MD MSc, Johns Hop-kins University Baltimore, MD. Lynn Billing,BSN RN CHPN B-C�, Kimmel Cancer Centerat the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.Mary Buss, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess MedicalCenter, Boston, MA. Thomas Smith, MD, VCUMassey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA.(All authors listed above for this session have dis-closed no relevant financial relationships.)

Objectives1. Recognize the impact of chemotherapy ad-

ministration late in the life of the cancerpatient.

2. Recognize treating physician, patient, andfamily factors that lead to late chemotherapyadministration.

3. Identify communication issues that lead tolate chemotherapy administration.

Quality of life is an important outcome for pa-tients who are dying of cancer. Ideally, servicesused near the end-of-life shouldminimize aggres-sive interventions and focus on symptom controland supportive care. Care ‘should also be