Five Can't-Miss Sessions at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association 2020 Meeting

The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association’s 16^th Annual Conference will take place next week in Tampa, Florida. Pharmacy Times will be on-site to provide coverage of the sessions, recaps of the panel discussions, and interviews with the experts.

Here are 5 sessions you won’t want to miss:

• Bringing Care Closer to Home: Patient Outreach in Rural America: This session will give an overview of the resources and opportunities available for pharmacists looking to serve patients in rural areas. Many patients in rural communities struggle to find resources and support, which creates barriers to appropriate cancer care. Attendees will learn how to reach these patients by participating in an educational component and observing a panel discussion.
• Chemotherapy and Cannabis: Best Buds?: Many patients are asking about the use of cannabis products to lessen the adverse effects of chemotherapy, but is it safe? This session will review the pharmacokinetics of cannabis products, as well as potential medications and treatment plan interactions. An example hospital policy will also be presented on the use of cannabis products in the inpatient setting.
• The Paths Less Traveled: Non-Traditional Oncology Pharmacy Careers: Many pharmacists don’t follow the traditional path and this session will explore various alternatives to the typical clinical setting. Non-traditional roles build upon traditional skills while simultaneously offering unique opportunities to learn about other areas of health care. This session will give curious oncology pharmacists an idea of where to look for these alternative paths and how to prepare for these roles. The speakers will discuss their current positions, how they got there, and what they’ve learned along the way.
• Pharmacists Bridging the Gap Between Oncology and Primary Care: Although cancer treatments may seem to take over a patient’s life, managing comorbidities is a vital part of cancer care and can impact treatment toxicities and effectiveness. This session will review the data related to the management of comorbidities in the cancer setting and will discuss a novel approach to utilizing a primary care pharmacist to bridge the gap and improve outcomes.
• Bigger Impact with Better Data: The Role of Real-World Evidence in Oncology Pharmacy Practice: Data can be a confusing area for oncology and hematology pharmacists, but this session aims to make it a little less complicated. This session will offer an overview of nationwide claims data, patient registries, pathways, patient-reported outcomes, cross-sectional national surveys, and SEER. Attendees will also learn how to leverage these data to benchmark their practices and consider novel sources that can address questions of interest to oncology stakeholders.

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