The College of Pharmacy discussed the MSc thesis entitled “The Effect of Pharmacist-Led Education to Iraqi Oncologists on Their Practice in Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism Among Ambulatory Cancer Patients: A Mixed Method Research” by the student Marwa Akram Tariq and her supervisors, Assistant Professor Dr. Ehab Mudher Mikhael in the Clinical Pharmacy Department, and Dr. Elaf Ali Husse in the Medical City Directorate/ Oncology Teaching Hospital.The study aimed to explore the perceptions and practices of oncologists regarding VTE, its risk assessment, and prevention among ambulatory cancer patients. In addition, the study aimed to develop and evaluate the effect of a pharmacist-led educational program and the newly developed mobile application in increasing the adherence of oncologists to thromboprophylaxis guidelines among ambulatory cancer patients.The study included a multi-phase mixed-method study design. The first phase was a qualitative study involving face-to-face individual-based interviews with oncologists working in four major oncology centers in Baghdad, Iraq. Interviews were continued till reaching saturation point. The second phase began with the development and validation of the educational program and its associated tools (the assistant mobile application). A quasi-experimental design was employed to assess the impact of the developed program on the appropriateness of thromboprophylaxis prescribing by oncologists for ambulatory cancer patients who are at high risk for VTE. All newly diagnosed ambulatory cancer patients, who visited major oncology centers in Baghdad and provided their informed consent were included in the study. Those who were managed by oncologists who received the educational program were considered the intervention group, while others were referred to the control group. Thromboprophylaxis prescribing was assessed for patients in both groups according to their VTE risk as measured by the Khorana risk score. The study concluded that VTE risk assessment is rarely performed by oncologists in oncology centers in Baghdad. Prophylactic anticoagulants are less commonly prescribed correctly for high-risk patients. A pharmacist-led educational intervention for oncologists and its associated tools ( mobile application) can effectively increase their awareness about the risks of VTE and enhance their ability to assess and manage ambulatory cancer patients at high risk of VTE.The study recommended that Iraqi Ministry of Health adopt the current educational program or at least the developed mobile application to enhance the clinical care to ambulatory cancer patients and reduce the disease burden on both patients and healthcare institutions. Also recommended to conduct large-scale observational studies to accurately assess the daily clinical practice of oncologists in all Iraqi oncology centers. Furthermore, it recommended clinical pharmacists be integrated into medical teams involved in making treatment decisions within Iraqi health facilities.
