Recognizing the emergency department's role in oncologic care: a review of the literature on unplanned acute care.

Background: The global prevalence of cancer is rapidly increasing and will increase the acute care needs of patients with cancer, including emergency department (ED) care. Patients with cancer present to the ED across the cancer care continuum from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life. This article describes the characteristics and determinants of ED visits, as well as challenges in the effort to define preventable ED visits in this population. Findings: The most recent population-based estimates suggest 4% of all ED visits are cancer-related and roughly two thirds of these ED visits result in hospitalization-a 4-fold higher ED hospitalization rate than the general population. Approximately 44% of cancer patients visit the ED within 1 year of diagnosis, and more often have repeat ED visits within a short time frame, though there is substantial variability across cancer types. Similar patterns of cancer-related ED use are observed internationally across a range of different national payment and health system settings. ED use for patients with cancer likely reflects a complex interaction of individual and contextual factors-including provider behavior, health system characteristics, and health policies-that warrants greater attention in the literature. Conclusions: Given the amount and complexity of cancer care delivered in the emergency setting, future research is recommended to examine specific symptoms associated with cancer-related ED visits, the contextual determinants of ED use, and definitions of preventable ED use specific to patients with cancer.

Systematic Review of Hospital Readmissions Among Patients With Cancer in the United States.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To review the existing literature on readmission rates, predictors, and reasons for readmission among adults with cancer.
. DATA SOURCES: U.S.-based empirical studies reporting readmission rates from January 2005 to December 2015 were identified using four online library databases-PubMed, CINAHL®, EconLit, and the online bibliography of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program. Some articles were identified by the authors outside the database and bibliography searches. 
. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of the 1,219 abstracts and 271 full-text articles screened, 56 studies met inclusion criteria. The highest readmission rates were observed in patients with bladder, pancreatic, ovarian, or liver cancer. Significant predictors of readmission included comorbidities, older age, advanced disease, and index length of hospital stay. Common reasons for readmission included gastrointestinal and surgical complications, infection, and dehydration.
. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical efforts to reduce the substantial readmission rates among adults with cancer may target high-rate conditions, infection prevention, proactive management of nausea and vomiting, and nurse-led care coordination interventions for older adult patients with multiple comorbid conditions and advanced cancer. 
. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Commonly reported reasons for readmission were nursing-sensitivepatient outcomes (NSPOs), amenable to nursing intervention in oncology settings. These findings underscore the important role oncology nurses play in readmission prevention by implementing evidence-based interventions to address NSPOs and testing their impact in future research.

A Systematic Review of Emergency Department Use Among Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports call for reductions in costly and potentially avoidable services such as emergency department (ED) visits. Providing high-quality and safe care for oncology patients remains challenging for ED providers given the diversity of patients seeking care and the unpredictable clinical environment. While ED use by oncology patients is appropriate for acute health concerns, some ED visits may be preventable with well-coordinated care and adequate symptom management. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to summarize available evidence regarding the incidence, predictors of, and reasons for ED visits among oncology patients. METHODS: Keyword/MeSH term searches were conducted using 4 online databases. Inclusion criteria were publication date between April 1, 2003, and December 5, 2014; sample size of 50 or more; and report of the incidence or predictors of ED use among oncology patients. RESULTS: The 15 studies that met criteria varied in study aim, design, and time frames for calculating ED utilization rates. The incidence of ED visits among oncology patients ranged from 1% to 83%. The 30-day standardized visit rate incidence ranged from 1% to 12%. Collectively, the studies lack population-based estimates for all cancers combined. CONCLUSIONS: The studies included in this review suggest that rates of ED use among cancer patients exceed those of the general population. However, the extent of ED use by oncology patients and the reasons for ED visits remain understudied. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurses are involved in the treatment of cancer, patient education, and symptom management. Nurses are well positioned to develop patient-centered treatment and care coordination plans to improve quality of care and reduce ED visits.

Emergency department use by recently diagnosed cancer patients in California.

BACKGROUND: Improving the quality of cancer care and reducing preventable health system use are goals of increasing importance to health practitioners and policy makers. Emergency department (ED) visits are often cited as a source of preventable health system use, however, few studies have described the incidence of ED use by recently diagnosed cancer patients in population-based samples, and no study has addressed the full spectrum of cancer types. OBJECTIVE: To describe ED use by recently diagnosed cancer patients. METHODS: California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development data and the California Cancer Registry were used to describe ED use in the year after a cancer diagnosis (2009-2010). The incidence of ED use was tabulated by cancer type. Logistic regression and recycled predictions were used to examine ED use adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS: Most ED visits (68%) occurred within 180 days of diagnosis. The incidence of ED use for all cancer types examined was 17% within 30 days, 35% within 180 days and 44% within 365 days of diagnosis. ED use varied by cancer type (5%-39% within 30 days of diagnosis; 14% -62% within 180 days; and 22%-69% within 365 days). Patterns of ED use by cancer type remained similar after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic factors. LIMITATIONS: Those common to administrative and registry datasets. Specifically, we were unable to account for ED visits in relation to cancer treatment dates and comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients use EDs at higher rates than previously reported, with considerable variability by cancer type. Future research should examine reasons for ED visits by cancer type and identify predictors of ED use, including treatment and comorbid conditions.