Michelle Simpson, PharmD, BCSCP, MWC | Editor-in-Chief, Infusion Journal

Pharmacists in the home infusion setting have long been recognized as essential members of the health care team, responsible not only for the preparation and furnishing of medications and administration supplies, but also for the comprehensive management of patient care. This issue of Infusion Journal includes a recent research study that highlights this critical role, revealing that home infusion pharmacists spend a comparable amount of time providing patient care for specialty infusion medications as they do for non-specialty home infusion therapies. This finding challenges perceptions about the nature of specialty medications, particularly the assumption that they require less care planning and clinical involvement than non-specialty infusion drugs.

One of the most striking findings of this study is the time pharmacists dedicate to care planning and patient assessments. These 2 categories accounted for 42.45% of their tasks, accentuating the extensive clinical engagement required to manage specialty infusion therapies. Interestingly, this percentage is notably higher than that reported in a similar study published in Infusion Journal’s first issue, where 21% of pharmacist tasks fell into these categories.1 This discrepancy suggests that the complexity of specialty medications, coupled with their insurance and coordination challenges, increases the need for detailed care planning and close patient monitoring.

Furthermore, the study highlights that pharmacists spend nearly equal amounts of time on tasks regardless of the administration method—whether the medication is delivered by infusion or injection. The mean total time spent on tasks for both categories is comparable, suggesting that the intricacies of managing specialty medications require consistent levels of attention across different administration methods. What stands out, however, is that the self-injectable group had a higher percentage of time devoted to clinical tasks like care planning and patient assessment. This finding indicates that, despite similarities in total time, self-injectables may demand a more focused clinical approach due to the nature of the medications and patient needs.

Equally important in this study is the role pharmacists play in drug preparation and compounding. For specialty medications, nearly one-third of total tasks were dedicated to drug preparation, a task that requires precision and care, especially for fragile medications like monoclonal antibodies. While this is less than the 50% reported by the prior research on non-specialty home infusion medications like parenteral nutrition, it still highlights the critical responsibility pharmacists bear in ensuring the stability and efficacy of specialty medications.¹

Beyond task allocation and time management, the study also touches on the time to treatment initiation—a crucial aspect of patient care. With an average of 14.56 days from referral to dispensing, this study reveals a significant gap compared to non-specialty home infusion medications, where treatment initiation can take as little as 1 day. This discrepancy suggests that the onboarding process for specialty medications, which involves coordination with prescribers, insurers, and other health care providers, adds complexity and delays to the process. These delays, while not directly related to pharmacist tasks, are an important factor in the overall patient experience and outcomes.

The study’s limitations, including the small sample size for injectable medications and reliance on self-reported data, are acknowledged by the authors. However, despite these limitations, the findings provide a valuable glimpse into the time and effort pharmacists devote to caring for patients requiring specialty infusion therapies. Future research with larger sample sizes and more detailed task categorization, particularly in relation to the insurance verification process, will help build on these insights.

This study sheds light on the extensive clinical involvement of home infusion pharmacists, particularly in the context of specialty infusion medications. With over 70% of their tasks dedicated to patient care, these pharmacists do more than dispense medication; they are central to patient assessment, care planning, and ongoing clinical monitoring. This research underscores the critical role of pharmacists in ensuring the safe and effective use of specialty medications and challenges the viewpoint that specialty drugs require less pharmacist involvement. As the demand for specialty infusion therapies grows, so too will the need for pharmacists to continue playing a vital role in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.

Infusion Journal is interested in publishing original research that recognizes and documents the positive impact of infusion pharmacists on improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. As the pipeline of specialty infusion medications grows, it represents numerous opportunities for research. We welcome submissions from authors on topics relevant to infusion therapy administered in the home, clinic, suite, or other outpatient setting.