The Use of RTUs in Patients with Cancer

In this video, Jeffrey Lombardo, PharmD, who is the executive patient safety officer for UB’s patient safety organization Empire State Patient Safety Assurance Network, discusses the use of RTUs in patients with cancer. Lombardo spoke during a session held simultaneously as the 36th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium held November 7 to 9, 2018, at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York, New York.

Jeffrey Lombardo, PharmD:

As RTU’s come to the oncology market, I think it promotes workflow advantages, being able to stage chemotherapy drugs ahead of time, prepare at those busy clinics, and preparing patients before they walk into the door. I think it has workflow advantages, certainly sterility and stability as well. Sometimes, a patient who’s receiving chemotherapy, their bloodwork come backs and it might have some neutropenia or thrombocytopenia, and you might have already mixed that medication. So, you have to waste that and it’s a financial burden to the practice. So, the RTU’s have an extended shelf life. If for some reason the patient is not administering chemotherapy on that day, you can bring that back and possibly use it on another patient.