Tyler Fenton is an Oncology Pharmacy Resident; and Brooke Crawford and Susan Bullington are Clinical Pharmacy Specialists; all at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Correspondence: Tyler Fenton (tylertfenton@gmail.com)
Author disclosures The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the US Government, or any of its agencies. This article may discuss unlabeled or investigational use of certain drugs. Please review the complete prescribing information for specific drugs or drug combinations—including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects—before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.
The small sample size in this study was a limitation. Retrospective data related to the management of infusion reactions and length of infusions were collected from nursing notes. The prospective use of a standardized evaluation tool for adverse drug reactions as well as bar code medication administration technology would improve the data available for this study. Additional studies also would be useful to validate the results.
Conclusions
The proactive measures that were used to implement the rapid infusion rituximab protocol improved HCP prescribing rates, nursing satisfaction, and the management of IRRs. Potential time savings with each infusion was significant. This study confirmed appropriateness of rapid administration of rituximab in this veteran population and has increased interest in implementing other rapid infusion protocols. Protocols, education, and order sets are being developed for daratumumab and infliximab.
