Protecting High-Risk Oncology Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Creating an Isolated Outpatient Clinic.
JCO Oncol Pract
; 18(4): e626-e631, 2022 04.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1562443
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Delivering care for immunocompromised, high-risk patients with cancer during a pandemic has proven challenging. Patients with cancer on chemotherapy have a high risk of mortality if contracted COVID-19. If a patient goes directly to the emergency room, multiple contact points with other individuals can lead to unnecessary exposures from any airborne virus, such as COVID-19. Our cancer center has implemented an isolated clinic with personal protective equipment and direct access to a COVID-19 rule-out floor to manage those with febrile neutropenia (FN).METHODS:
We implemented an outpatient, isolated, extended-hour clinic with access to personal protective equipment, laboratories, and antibiotics for patients with FN as a pilot project from April 1 to December 31, 2020, with the aim to decrease emergency department (ED) visits for FN by 50%.RESULTS:
Since the implementation of our clinic, we have screened 74 unique patients during 102 visits, of which 76 led to a discharge and 26 led to a direct admit, thus avoiding the ED. Thirty-nine of these visits were for patients with recent travel or a known COVID-19 exposure. Bringing these patients to our isolated clinic ensured safety of the approximately 200 patients undergoing active treatment in our infusion center daily.CONCLUSION:
Implementing this clinic has thus far successfully decreased the social footprint of our highest-risk patients with cancer in the ED considerably. Our efforts and hopes of decreasing the possible exposure of our immunocompromised patients to COVID-19 as well as the unnecessary exposure of the infusion center patients and personnel have thus far been effective.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
JCO Oncol Pract
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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