The cardio-oncology multidisciplinary team: beyond the basics

Fig. 1. Barriers, enablers, and benefits of inclusion of pharmacists into the cardio-oncology multidisciplinary team. Whilst the inclusion of pharmacists into the cardio-oncology multidisciplinary team is widely accepted, several barriers have been identified that hinder their involvement, including lack of role recognition and resources available to cardio-oncology pharmacists. Postulated solutions to overcome these barriers include integration of pharmacists into cardio-oncology clinics to increase pharmacist exposure, along with the development of structured education or training schemes. This must also be reflected in cardio-oncology guidelines pertaining to the development of multidisciplinary teams. Adapted from Merali A et al. “Exploration of current pharmacy practice in cardio-oncology: Experiences & perspectives”. J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2023;29(8):1844–52

Fig. 2. Role of the pharmacist as part of a cardio-oncology multidisciplinary team. Pharmacists are well-positioned to provide a range of medication-centric services to enhance both cancer and cardiovascular outcomes. Such services target optimising medication use and management and providing patient-centred education to improve the quality use of medicines