The knowledge, attitude and practice of hospital pharmacists on the safety issues of antitumor agents for the patients discharged in China

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is a serious global public health concern, especially for those patients undergoing chemotherapy. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice among hospital pharmacists in China towards the safety issues of antitumor agents for the patients discharged. METHODS: The pilot study was processed using an online questionnaire targeting hospital pharmacists in China. Ten, five and four questions were used to investigate pharmacists’ knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) respectively. RESULTS: A total of 360 questionnaires by pharmacists out of 412 (87.4%) were qualified and enrolled. It was found that 58.7% were familiar with safety-related knowledge; 32.2% believed that safety risks exist and 85.3% were willing to provide medication education to patients with cancer who take medication at home after discharge; 91.4%have sometimes taken the initiative to promote safety-related knowledge to their patients. CONCLUSIONS: The research firstly provided some insights into the hospital pharmacists’ KAP regarding the safety issues of antitumor agents for patients with cancer discharged in China. Attention should be paid to the knowledge of pharmacists, the awareness of the safety risks of patients with cancer who take medication at home after discharge, and the accessibility to consult with pharmacists after discharge.