Evidence of pharmaceutical care in the clinical practice of oncology

Abstract

Objective: To present activities developed by pharmaceutical care in oncology aiming the quality of life of the patient. Methods: This is a review of the literature, which used the search in the following databases: Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and Virtual Health Library (VHL) with the keywords Oncology, Pharmaceutical, and Pharmaceutical attention, in Portuguese and English. We included studies on the subject published in English, Portuguese or Spanish like articles, reviews, dissertations and theses published between 2009 and 2015. The publications from previous years and with duplication were excluded. Results: It was observed that pharmaceutical care is immersed in drug therapy, in decision making on the adequate use of medicines for each cancer patient. In addition, the accomplishment of guidelines and supervisions in the procedures of manipulation of the antineoplastic ones, and the action in the multiprofessional team accompanying daily the work done and seeking to add their pharmacological knowledge, are essential activities in this scope. In pharmacovigilance, the pharmacist prevents adverse drug reactions, given the high occurrences in patients on chemotherapy. Conclusion: In this way, pharmaceutical care ensures that the antineoplastic treatment is developed with quality and safety, evidencing the quality of life of the cancer patient.