Opinion
Video
Pharmacists in Multiple Myeloma Care: Essential Roles and Patient Support
Kristen Peterson, PharmD, BCOP, reviews how pharmacists navigate multiple myeloma treatments, from initial diagnosis to managing adverse effects, supporting patients, ensuring medication access, and handling evolving roles in prolonged patient care.
This is a video synopsis/summary of an Insights episode involving Kristen Peterson, PharmD, BCOP.
Kristen Peterson, PharmD, BCOP, discussed the vital role that pharmacists play throughout diagnosis and treatment journeys for patients with myeloma. Pharmacists help create optimal initial treatment plans and adjust medications due to changes in organ function or adverse reactions. They facilitate smooth care transitions between inpatient and outpatient settings by collaborating with hospital pharmacy staff. Pharmacists also ensure patients receive necessary supportive medications (eg, antivirals, anticoagulants) and immunizations, have access to and can afford treatments, and know how to manage chemotherapy adverse reactions such as diarrhea and rash when using OTC products before moving to prescriptions. Since myeloma is incurable, pharmacists help anticipate and plan the next treatment steps to avoid repeat toxicities when patients relapse. Overall, pharmacists aim to impart confidence and capability in patients to apply medication knowledge from appointments to daily living. As more myeloma therapies emerge, especially for relapsed/refractory patients who tend to be older, pharmacists play an increasingly vital role requiring more patient interaction. Providers view pharmacists as medication experts who can help patients understand new treatments, ensure evidence-based supportive care, comprehend adverse effect risks, and optimally manage any adverse effects. Pharmacists also alleviate providers’ workloads by answering patients’ drug information questions directly and ensuring accurate medication lists for provider review. Long-term pharmacist-patient relationships build trust in health plans. Pharmacists additionally help empower patients seeking more ownership of their care by providing context to supplement online health research.
Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by Pharmacy Times® editorial staff.
