Challenges with the Emergency Departments Use among Cancer Patients; a Mini Review

Abstract

According to the studies the rate of emergency departments use among cancer patients exceed those of general population; however, there are differences based on cancer type, initial treatments, socioeconomic status, disease stages, health insurance status and so on. Patients’ symptoms and the severity of complications are varied as well. The emergency departments are actively involved in different stages of cancer management such as primary diagnosis, ongoing treatments and end-of-life period. Cancer patients usually have more serious complications and need more specialized cares at the end of life period, during chemotherapy and surgical treatments. Understanding the reasons for such visits could be useful in the development of dedicated interventions for preventing unnecessary emergency department visits, which is discussed in this mini-review.