Alex Wong (Rx2020) is part of the team at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, CHEO, a pediatric health-care and research centre in Ottawa, who won the 2022 Excellence in Pharmacy Practice Leadership Award in partnership with Canadian Blood Services.
The award is presented from the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) and acknowledges projects that serve a greater cause and contribute to pharmacy care.
Dr. Alex Wong meets with patient, Laurier (middle) and his father Daniel (right) to recommend a treatment plan best suited to his case at CHEO. Photo credit: André D. Coutu, CHEO.
“The collaboration between Canadian Blood Services and CHEO is unique and helped us gain new knowledge to improve patient care in an innovative way. It’s exciting that our work will be used to expand this to other care centres in Canada and other countries,” says Alex.
Alex’s goal to work as a clinical pharmacist sparked when he first worked at CHEO during rotations in his last year at Waterloo Pharmacy.
In February 2021, Alex assumed the role of the Hematology Pharmacist and now works with children affected by hemophilia alongside Dr. Robert Klaassen who leads the Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Clinic at CHEO.
Hemophilia is a rare blood disorder, typically inherited from a parent, where a patient’s blood does not clot correctly and results in high levels of bleeding. Each patient has a different level of severity of hemophilia and administrating medication is challenging and costly.
Alex’s expertise on hemophilia and how to tailor medications has been life changing for patients. His expertise in pharmacokinetics allows him to examine how hemophilia medication travels inside a patient’s body and how long it stays in the bloodstream.
The team uses WAPPS-Hemo, a population-based PK software developed by a team from McMaster University and Andrea Edginton, Hallman Director, Waterloo School of Pharmacy. Pharmacists can enter a patient's bloodwork data into the program to determine how much clotting factor is in their bloodstream over a specific period. The pharmacist can then pinpoint at which time the patient will need another injection.
As pharmacists, we have unique knowledge that can improve patient care while reducing costs. We use pharmacokinetics to customize a therapy plan for all our patients. As a result, our patients may receive up to 50 fewer intravenous treatments per year without impacting their bleeding rates.
Within every program there are challenges. Alex mentions patient buy-in and logistics are the main challenges he runs into. “I could optimize a child's or teen's regimen but it is ultimately their choice. We also need families to keep a treatment log at home and this can be challenging for some,” says Alex.
Alex’s specialized treatment plans can help manage hemophilia and stop critical bleeding episodes. By optimizing medication, patients lead a better overall quality of life.
Congratulations, Alex!