BOPA and PRUK award their 2016 research grant
BOPA and PRUK are delighted to grant the 2016 BOPA-PRUK Research Award to John Minshull at University College London Hospital. BOPA and PRUK (Pharmacy Research UK) are working together to help novice researchers in oncology and haematology pharmacy to take their first steps in research.
The project that will be funded is “A qualitative study of the barriers and enablers to administration of supportive therapy closer to home for breast cancer patients”. The project will be conducted by John Minshull, Joint Formulary Pharmacist at University College London Hospital (UCLH) and Dr Yogini Jani, Medication Safety and Honorary Lecturer at UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and UCL School of Pharmacy.
Helen Flint, immediate past BOPA Chair, said, “BOPA are delighted to be working with PRUK to fund this innovative and clinically relevant project. In the longer term could save this patient group a significant amount of time travelling to and from the cancer centres and lead to a better quality of experience. We look forward to continuing the partnership in 2017 to fund further research.”
This project aims to understand the viability of administering the denosumab injections (Xgeva®) closer to the patients’ home via their GP for two specific groups of patients – those whose chemotherapy cycle falls outside the denosumab cycle and those no longer receiving chemotherapy. These injections are given to patients with or have suffered from solid tumours to prevent skeletal-related metastases. The project will aim to answer two key questions:
- What are the enablers and barriers to GPs in providing denosumab administration for breast cancer patients?
- What are the views and opinions of patients about receiving denosumab injections from their GP?
By providing these injections via the patient’s GP rather than a chemotherapy unit (which is where they are administered in the current system) it is hoped to save the NHS money which could be used elsewhere and provide a more convenient place for the patient to receive their injection.
The project will be based in North Central London (Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington). GPs working in practices within these areas and patients attending the Macmillan Cancer Centre, University College London Hospital for denosumab injections will be invited to participate in the research.
Dr Jani said, “We are delighted to receive this award. Many treatments have the potential for delivery through General Practice or other primary care services, with the benefits of improved patient experience and possible savings in the NHS. By gaining the views of patients receiving denosumab and their GPs, we hope to develop an understanding and evidence base of the drivers and challenges for service redesign.”
The project is due to finish in February 2017 and will make recommendations on the administration of denosumab injections in the final report.
http://www.pharmacyresearchuk.org/bopa-and-pruk-award-their-2016-research-grant/
