Call Back: Using the Phone to Promote Adherence to Oral Antineoplastic Agents

Background: The use of oral antineoplastic agents has continued to increase as more cancer patients are prescribed these drugs as part of their treatment plan. This shift has created many new challenges for oncology nurses who take care of and manage patients taking these agents in their homes. Barriers to oral antineoplastic drugs can lead to decreased oral adherence, which can affect overall survival and lead to poorer patient outcomes. Objective: To determine if a nurse-led telephone intervention leads to a high level of self-reported adherence in adult patients taking oral antineoplastic agents. Methods: Ten adult cancer patients starting a new oral antineoplastic agent received 6 weekly phone calls from an oncology nurse beginning the first week they started their medication. Using a standardized telephone script, the nurse asked each patient to report how they were taking their medications each day, if they had missed any doses, and if they had, what the reasons were for the missed doses. The nurses pro vided symptom management, addressed any barriers, answered any questions and concerns, and developed an individualized plan with the patient. Results: The patients who received the phone call intervention self-reported a high level of adherence to their antineoplastic agents during the interview with the clinic nurse. The nurse was able to provide timely symptom management, as well as additional education and support to several of the patients who verbalized barriers to taking their medications. Conclusion: Nurses play an important role by decreasing barriers that may influence adherence for cancer patients taking oral antineoplastic agents. Nurse-led supportive telephone interventions are a simple and effective way to evaluate a patient's adherence and provide strategies for patients to self-manage their care.