Abstract
Cancer patients may find it challenging to access timely advice and care. We evaluated the improvement in delivering ambulatory care in establishing a Rapid Assessment Clinic (RAC) in a cancer center. Patients receiving chemotherapy who presented for assessment at the RAC from September 2013 to June 2014 were included for review. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, presenting complaints, time to assessment, total time spent at the RAC and assessment outcome were extracted. Similar data for cancer patients presented to the emergency department (ED) but were appropriate for RAC assessment from February 2012 to August 2012 were reviewed for comparison. For patients with febrile neutropenia, time to empirical antibiotic therapy was also reviewed and analyzed. Comparing to ED presentation (n = 152), patients reviewed at the RAC (n = 217) had a shorter waiting time to medical review (28.5 vs 40 min, P = 0.12), shorter total time spent for review (3.1 vs 9.7 hrs, P< 0.001), lesser rate of hospital admission (14.3% vs 69.1%, P < 0.001) and shorter inpatient length of stay (4vs 7 days, P = 0.013). Presentations of febrile neutropenia were reviewed more promptly in ED (6 vs 9.5min, P = 0.37), but this did not result in earlier empirical antibiotic administration (79 vs 74 min, P = 0.84). Comparing to ED, RAC had improved timeliness of care, resulting in a lower rate of hospital admission and inpatient length of stay for cancer patients. There was, however, no difference in the management of febrile neutropenia.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.