The IDS is responsible for the education of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians throughout the network who will be handling the drugs or agents for each protocol. Educational efforts are accomplished through a variety of mechanisms:
- Development of pharmacy-specific procedures that are optimal for all handling and preparation issues for drug(s) in each clinical study.
- Site visits to each trial site at the time of implementation to ensure that the pharmacy department or designee has the appropriate resources to assure that medications are stored and prepared as required and that drug accountability records are accurate. Site visits have been increasingly important to maintain the integrity of the protocol and are done as needed throughout the duration of the protocol.
In addition, the IDS pharmacy is a site for the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) Oncology Pharmacy Residency Program and an experiential education site for Duquesne University School of Pharmacy and University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.
