Melanie Danilak s Article.docx

Reflections on ISOPP XIV: Insights I have gained
Melanie Danilak, BSc. Pharm, ACPR
After having attending several NOPS conferences, I knew that I would learn a lot about oncology
pharmacy that would directly apply to my practice while attending my first ISOPP conference. What
stuck with me most, however, were some of the unexpected things I learned that have enhanced not
just my practice, but myself as a practitioner. Much of this insight came from the very first and last
sessions of the conference.
In the opening plenary, cancer survivor Mike Lang said that his goal was to broaden our perspectives on
the big picture of patient care in oncology. He sure succeeded in doing that. Many of us, myself
included, have become so specialized in our areas of work that we focus very hard on details of the
drugs we use and diseases we treat. While we are all caring health care providers with the best
intentions, it is easy to become so focused on treatments that we lose sight of the fact that we are
treating people – human beings, and not just cancers. It is easy and often necessary to dive into the
details but the consequence of that can be losing sight of the big picture.
By sharing his personal cancer story with us, Mike showed us how easy it is to lose one’s own identity in
the midst of a cancer diagnosis. He also demonstrated the profound effect that one simple
intervention by a health care provider can have on a patient’s outlook and ability to get through
treatment.
In addition to enlightening us with some “street lingo” that patients use to refer to cancer drugs, such as
the “Red Devil” and “Fire Veins,” Mike left us with some simple tips to help us foster one of the most
important partnerships we build as pharmacists – the partnerships with our patients:
1. Connect similar patients with one another
2. Strive for authentic engagement with your patients at the human level at least once per day
3. Before you interact with a patient, take 30 seconds and try to imagine being in their shoes so
that you can begin to understand their context
4. Just listen
Mike presented us with the challenge not just to save lives, but to change lives and reminded us that
each one of us can have an impact as individuals on the well being of our patients. Challenge accepted!
One amazing realization for me, being at my first international conference, was that the diverse group of
pharmacy professionals from around the world are dealing with many of the same issues in oncology
pharmacy. The closing plenary exemplified this well, as representatives from Canada, the United
Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Germany, and USA came together with a vibrant discussion of important
issues surrounding oral anti-neoplastic agents. Handling of oral chemotherapy, safety processes,
patient education, and adherence were among some of the common themes that we are all thinking
about and it was great to learn from each others successes about what we can do to improve practices
at our home sites.
I , therefore, left the conference not only with ideas of how I would make an impact as an individual, but
also with a sense of community among an international group of pharmacy professionals and with
excitement as I think about the tremendous impact we could have on patient care when working
together!