[Theoretical and practical training in managing requests for injectable anticancer drugs and galenic preparations on pharmaceutical duty].

OBJECTIVES

Injectable anticancer preparations and galenic preparations are subject to strict regulations imposing safety and quality requirements. In our hospital, on-call pharmacists may, in exceptional circumstances, be required to prepare or check preparations. It is therefore essential to train them. The aim of this work is to provide theoretical and practical training to pharmacists on pharmaceutical duty.

METHODS

Theoretical training covering all stages of the injectable anticancer drug and galenic preparation process was provided. Practical training courses covering the preparation of three injectable anticancer drugs of interest were then held in the production area. Pre- and post-training questionnaires were completed anonymously to assess the impact of the training and the satisfaction of the pharmacists.

RESULTS

All fifteen on-call pharmacists participated in the training courses, with a success rate of approximately 90% for the practical training. Almost all of the pharmacists were satisfied with the training, showing a definite decrease in apprehension about pharmacotechnical requests while on call. All would like to repeat the training on a regular basis. However, these training sessions were very time-consuming and required significant human resources. Other less time-consuming training materials could be explored for future training sessions.

CONCLUSIONS

These initial training sessions were well received by the teams and proved satisfactory. It would be appropriate to continue with the training and, in particular, to encourage practical training, which pharmacists can carry out on their own initiative using the tools created for this purpose.