The Waterloo-based study will advance the use of a vaccine decision tool for healthcare professionals tailored to cancer patients’ needs.

A research team at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy is advancing cancer care with support from OICR’s Innovation to Implementation (I2I) Awards.

Cancer and its treatments can often impact a person’s immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. Researchers have found that many healthcare professionals find it challenging to implement a thorough vaccine review into practice due to the complexities in eligibility and access.

OICR support will be used to expand the VaxCheck program, a clinical decision tool that helps healthcare professionals identify vaccines that patients may benefit from, considering this population’s risk of vaccine-preventable diseases and the optimal timing and use of vaccines alongside treatments for cancer.

“We hope that this research will result in a VaxCheck program that is ready for use by various health professionals and that supports the unique needs of people with cancer,” says Dr. Sherilyn Houle, Associate Professor in the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy.

Extend Pharmacy in Ottawa, a University of Waterloo partner that specializes in oncology care, will pilot the updated VaxCheck tool. Their pharmacists will refine the VaxCheck program and apply it to real-world situations to test its usability and effectiveness at identifying and offering vaccines their patients may benefit from and providing patient education on vaccination that is compassionate, personalized, and easy to understand. The data collected will inform future updates and best practices for other pharmacies who wish to incorporate the program into their care process.

The researchers also aim to learn about the factors that people with cancer consider when making decisions around vaccination, to support the development of resources to answer these questions and support their decision-making. They are also aiming to make the program more widely available to other settings and health professionals who provide care for people with cancer.

This story was originally published by the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and has been reposted with permission. The original post can be viewed at: https://uwaterloo.ca/pharmacy/news/oicr-funding-supports-waterloo-pharmacy-vaccination-research