April 14-17, 2016 Niagara Falls, Canada

Extract from CAPhO Student Award Winner, Soha Ahrari’s “What I Learned” article

[The conference’s opening] plenary was Dr Kim Lavoie who went through the basics of motivational communication and set the feel for the entire conference. She brought forward sobering statistics on current “medication counseling” – 50–70% of all information reviewed during a clinic visit is forgotten, and 50% of that is remembered incorrectly. Most of us spend hours each week counseling patients on how to manage chemotherapy-induced side effects or how to take oral anti-cancer medications. And yet, if we take these numbers, we have to recognize that most of it is going in one ear and out the other. Luckily, there is a solution. Perhaps, instead of doing the traditional “information dump” (which I know I’m guilty of!) or even the teach-back technique, otherwise known as the “parrot-back” technique, we can really use our limited time to engage patients in a meaningful way. Here’s her advice:

If you want a patient to make a behaviour change, whether it’s smoking cessation, improved medication adherence, or weight loss, there are three key ingredients.

• • Being AWARE of the problem
  • Realizing the BENEFITS of making a change – and this needs to come from within.
  • Having the CONFIDENCE to make the change

If your arguments for behaviour change are irrelevant to the patient, no matter how obvious they are to you, they will not be heard or welcomed.

The annual CAPhO Conference provides participants with essential knowledge in the practice of oncology pharmacy and unbeatable networking opportunities. Formerly known as the National Oncology Pharmacy Symposium (NOPS), the three-day Conference focuses on a key theme that is presented through a mixture of educational sessions delivered by leaders in their field.