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Epidemiology

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Oncologic Emergency Medicine

Abstract

The global burden of cancer is expected to increase dramatically, with significant impact on health service use including emergency department (ED) care. Oncology patients present to the ED across the cancer care continuum from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life. This chapter describes the distribution (i.e., frequency, incidence, and disposition) and determinants of ED visits and further explores the concept of ED visit preventability in this population. Between 2006 and 2012 in the United States, 4% of all ED visits were cancer-related, and approximately 44% of cancer patients visited the ED within 1 year of diagnosis with substantial variability in this rate by cancer type. Compared to the general population, oncology patients have higher rates of hospital admission from the ED and higher likelihood of having frequent ED visits in a given time frame. Similar patterns of cancer-related ED use are observed internationally. ED use for oncology patients reflects a complex interaction of individual and contextual factors—including provider behavior, health system characteristics, and health policies. 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 oncology patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Indiana University, Fort Wayne, IN, USA

    Rebecca S. Lash

  2. Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Janice F. Bell

  3. Division of Social Work, California State University, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Sarah C. Reed

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  1. Rebecca S. Lash
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Former Professor and Founding Chair (Retired), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Knox H. Todd

  2. Professor and Chair, Department of Radiation Medicine, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Charles R. Thomas, Jr.

  3. Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Kumar Alagappan

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Lash, R.S., Bell, J.F., Reed, S.C. (2021). Epidemiology. In: Todd, K.H., Thomas, Jr., C.R., Alagappan, K. (eds) Oncologic Emergency Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67123-5_1

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