Background:
Haematology and palliative care patients are often prescribed complex medication regimens, require frequent medication changes and rapidly transition between inpatient and ambulatory care. Traditional pharmacy models do not adequately support continuity of care. In 2025, funding was obtained at a large metropolitan hospital to broaden the care into an outpatient setting.
Objective:
To describe the development of an outpatient pharmacist role tailored to local service needs through stakeholder engagement, prioritising high-impact areas and carefully planned implementation.
Action:
A stepwise approach was taken to develop the role.
1. Stakeholder engagement: To identify service gaps and maximise impact of pharmacy input, meetings were held with haematology and palliative care unit stakeholders.
2. Identification of priority areas: Haematology stakeholders identified allograft transplant, myeloma clinic and post-discharge follow-up being key areas of focus due to polypharmacy, variable organ functions and complex medication regimens. Palliative care stakeholders identified pharmacy support at outpatient clinics and post-discharge follow-up as priority activities.
3. Service implementation: Resources were allocated to support various pharmacist services including medication management, medication reviews, post-discharge follow-ups, adherence support, answering clinician queries and attending multidisciplinary outpatient rounds.
4. Service refinement: ongoing meetings with stakeholders have taken place to ensure the role continues to evolve based on changes in clinical need, referrals and feedback.
Evaluation:
Between October 2025 and April 2026, 606 patient interactions were undertaken across the outpatient setting. Overall, 47% of medication reviews resulted in positive pharmacy interventions, increasing to 54% in the allograft transplant cohort. These findings demonstrate pharmacists’ contribution to medication optimisation, safety and continuity of care. The role progressively expanded beyond medication review into education, workflow support and service improvement opportunities.
Discussion:
This stepwise approach allowed efficient prioritisation of resources to areas requiring attention. It demonstrated the limitless potential of pharmacists to expand involvement in a dynamic manner.