THERANOVA-LIM: Improving knowledge of oral therapies for patients and healthcare professionals

Background Recent developments in oral chemotherapy and targeted therapies have radically changed the way in which cancer patients are managed. Ambulatory care is now common, associated with the development of organizations that foster, secure home treatments, and reinforce the city hospital link. Methods THERANOVA-LIM (NCT04931329), a prospective study, assessed the satisfaction of healthcare professionals and patients who benefited from improved access to information on appropriate drug use imparted by a drug vigilance card or a prescription with a QR code connected to specific website. Patients had access to advice sheets associated with the molecules used in the therapy, and information sheet to help manage side-effects. Before setting up this programme, a practice assessment survey was carried out among healthcare professionals to understand their needs in terms of prescribing oral therapies. Results An e-questionnaire was used to explore the practices and expectations of retail pharmacists, Only 40% stated that they felt comfortable when managing patients on oral therapy which was the starting point for the study. A total of 128 patients were included in the study. Patients received one or other of the systems : 55 received “medication vigilance card” group and 73 a “prescription with QR code”. The median age was 69 years (range 37–90 years); 85 women and 43 men. The three most common cancers were breast (37.5%), prostate (14.1%), and brain (10.9%) cancers. The vast majority of patients had metastatic cancer (90%). The four most prescribed drugs were capecitabine (21.1%), ribociclib (11.7%), temozolomide (11.7%), and trifluridine/tipiracil (7.8%). The occasions on which patients presented cards included medical consultations (25.0%), visits to the pharmacy (100%), and when the homecare nurse was in attendance (25.0%).Patients were similarly satisfied with the new systems (p = 0.8) and as professionals. However, health professionals felt that the prescription with a QR code was of greater assistance than the drug vigilance card (p = 0.02). Conclusion Both systems help to improve access to knowledge about oral treatments. This encourages us to extend the innovations and evaluate them further. Trial Registration Number and the date of registration : ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04931329. 2021-05-10