1. ¹Department of Pharmacy, Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust, Lyndhurst Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2DH, UK
2. ²School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, St Michael's Building, White Swan Rd, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 2DT, UK

Correspondence: Professor D Brown, E-mail: david.brown@port.ac.uk

Revised 4 December 2006; Accepted 20 January 2007; Published online 20 February 2007.

Abstract

The impact on the care of breast cancer patients, of a pharmacy technician-led medication review and counselling clinic, provided in an outpatient setting, was investigated using a controlled randomised study. Compared to the controls, clinic patients showed a significantly improved level of understanding of their chemotherapy support medication (95% CI for difference in mean knowledge rating scores=2.165–2.826, P<0.001) and a significant reduction in the median number of support items required (two compared to five in the control, P<0.001). This resulted in a significant reduction in mean medication expenditure per patient (£26.70 vs £10.20, 95% CI for the mean difference in cost £6.72–£26.26, P<0.001). The clinic was also associated with significant reductions in chemotherapy delays (P<0.001) and dose reductions due to side effects (P=0.003). Other benefits from the clinic were a reduction in pharmacy dispensing time and a highly significant reduction in pharmacy time spent resolving post-clinic prescription queries (P<0.001). Taking into account the initial technician training cost, the scheme represented an annual saving to the Trust of over £15 000. The clinic serves as a model for those wishing to improve outpatient services to breast cancer patients.