As reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice by Fahrenbruch et al, the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) has issued a position statement on dose rounding of biologic and cytotoxic anticancer agents.
To formulate the position statement, the HOPA standards committee organized a work group of oncology pharmacist specialists to assess safety and value of dose rounding of anticancer agents, including analysis of primary literature on methods for dose rounding and clinical or economic data. Pharmacokinetic characteristics and factors in product formulation were considered in developing the statement. Key elements of the statement are summarized/reproduced below.
Key Elements
The authors concluded, “Dose rounding reduces waste and health-care costs. HOPA recommends that each institution develop its own dose-rounding policy that addresses biologic and cytotoxic agents. Institutional guidelines for dose rounding of anticancer agents, including criteria for automatic dose rounding, the allowable percentage, and institutional processes for operationalizing and documenting dose rounding, should be determined by collaborative stakeholder consensus. Exceptions to dose rounding should be determined a priori. Additional studies that evaluate the impact of dose rounding on patient outcome are warranted.”
Rebecca Fahrenbruch, PharmD, of Fairview Pharmacy Services, Maple Grove, Minnesota, is the corresponding author for the Journal of Oncology Practice article.
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