The impact of adverse drug reactions on medication adherence and outpatient treatment outcomes in female breast cancer: A review protocol

Abstract Aim Discover the impact of adverse drug reactions of hormonal and chemotherapy on medication adherence and outpatient treatment outcomes in the breast cancer patient population. Design A systematic review following the reporting guidance from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses Protocols (PRISMA‐P) guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology will be conducted. Data Sources A literature search will be conducted using the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Medline and Scopus. Review methods Studies published in English before 2022 that report adverse drug reactions with medication adherence and outpatient treatment outcomes as primary outcome measures, following the initiation of one or more oral hormonal, endocrine and chemotherapy agents in female patients with diagnoses of breast cancer will be identified. Observational studies will be included for review, and two reviewers will independently screen study titles, abstracts and full text for inclusion. The quality assessment will be conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. A meta‐analysis will be conducted where sufficient data are available. Results This is a systematic review study protocol, and results are not available at the time of the submission. All results will be reported on the completion of this study. Discussion This systematic review will highlight the impact of medication non‐adherence on the breast cancer patient population, support determining strategies to address this issue and identify areas for further research. Patient or public contribution This protocol article will identify the impact of adverse drug reactions on medication non‐adherence and treatment outcomes in the female breast cancer patient population. A unique contribution of our study is to support determining strategies to address this ongoing public health issue and identify areas for further research. Trial registration This protocol has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (registration number CRD 42021291364).