Hospital pharmacists' perceived competence in providing care to oncology patients – (HoPP-CoP2).

This article focuses on assessing the perceived competence of Canadian hospital pharmacists who do not specialize in oncology in managing patients taking anticancer drugs during hospital admissions for non-cancer-related reasons. Results from a cross-sectional survey indicate that these pharmacists generally report low perceived competence across various oncology-related care aspects, with the highest confidence in managing electrolyte disturbances and the lowest in handling drug-disease interactions and hepatic dysfunction. The study identifies a lack of confidence in prior oncology education as a major barrier and finds that the number of oncology-related continuing education (CE) hours completed in the past five years is the only factor significantly correlated with increased perceived competence. Respondents expressed strong interest in CE sessions focused on oral anticancer agents and adverse effects, suggesting that targeted continuing education programs may enhance pharmacists’ competence in oncology patient care.