Embodiment of Pharmacist Intervention in Palliative Care and Augmentation of a Curriculum for its Assessment

Background: Palliative care is the care of patients who have progressive, life-threatening illnesses and who are facing death in the foreseeable future. Since there is a growing need for pharmacist’s intervention in palliative care and there is a gap in the education of palliative care for pharmacy students, this study aims to identify roles and services that have to be performed by palliative care pharmacists in medication-related areas and also to formulate an add-on course to train pharmacy graduates. Materials and Methods: A prospective interventional study was done in the palliative care centre in Perinthalmanna, Kerala, India. Relevant data were pooled and analysed for drug-related problems. Necessary interventions were made. Results were interpreted and an add-on course for the training of pharmacy graduates was formulated. Results: A total of 88 patients were included in the study. The most prevalent conditions in our palliative setting were kidney disease, liver disease, cancer and stroke. Notably, 38 and 10 cases were found to have drug interactions and drug duplications, respectively. Four patients required dosage adjustments. Fifty cases involved pharmacist intervention which improved the outcome by 80%. At the end of the study, a curriculum was formulated to implement a 3-month add-on course entitled ‘PALLIATIVE PHARMACY’ under the guidance of an Expert committee for training pharmacists and pharmacy students. Conclusion: The study identified that there are various roles a pharmacist must undertake in a palliative setup. The involvement of pharmacists in patients’ treatment helps to prevent drug-related problems to a greater extent. The addition of an integrated course for the management of palliative care patients will help to improve the learning as well as practical skills of pharmacists. Incorporating basic and clinical sciences in the therapeutic course is an effective learning plan.