Aim: To assess the impact of compassionate care training for oncology pharmacists and technicians in a cancer specialty hospital.
Method: Compassion training was provided by CareFully to 12 oncology pharmacists and 4 pharmacy technicians. This was a 5-hour face-to-face training program which included both theory on compassion science and interactive activities which empower participants to deliver compassionate care.
Results: A survey was given to participants before, immediately after, and 3 months post training to evaluate the impact of the program. It found a significant increase in participants’ understanding of components of compassionate care from a self-reported understanding of 55% to 93% as an average. Participants also rated their skill in providing compassionate care increase from 62.5% to 82.7%. They were more confident in managing challenging situations with patients from an average rating of 60% to 80%. When asked what they are doing differently as a result of training, most participants mentioned they are practicing more active listening and were able to think of specific examples of positive patient interactions and outcomes. Examples of pharmacy initiatives as an outcome from the training include a pharmacy restructure to have a pharmacist more accessible to patients, extra information brochures for patients at the pharmacy counter, and introducing a follow up phone call and survey after cycle 1 counselling.
Conclusion: Compassionate care training should be integrated into standard education for all pharmacy staff to improve confidence and skills in providing compassionate care, especially in a cancer care setting. Further research on its impact on patient satisfaction and even the well-being of the healthcare provider could be explored.