Pharmacist-led pain management in home-based cancer patients under the medical consortium model: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-led medication therapy management services (MTMs) in managing cancer pain for home-based patients under a medical consortium model.

METHODS

A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 100 discharged cancer patients with moderate-to-severe pain. Participants were randomly assigned to either the MTMs intervention group or the conventional care group. Outcome measures, including pain scores, pain relief levels, medication adherence, and anxiety levels, were assessed at 24 h after admission (baseline), 7 days, 1 month, and 3 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

After 3 months, both groups exhibited significant reductions in pain scores compared to the 24-h baseline (P < 0.01). However, the intervention group demonstrated significantly lower pain scores (3.54 ± 0.76 vs 4.50 ± 1.18) and higher pain relief rates (CR + PR: 36.0% vs 12.0%). The proportion of patients with poor adherence in the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.01), and the improvement rate in medication adherence was significantly higher (50% vs 6%, P < 0.01). Furthermore, the intervention group showed a lower level of anxiety (P < 0.01) and a greater improvement in anxiety (38% vs 12%, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The implementation of standardized MTMs by pharmacists within the medical consortium effectively extended pharmaceutical care to the home setting. This intervention improved pain relief, enhanced medication adherence, and reduced anxiety among cancer pain patients; these findings support the potential for broader clinical application of this pharmacist-led model within integrated healthcare systems.