Defining Cancer Patients As Being in the Terminal Phase: Who Receives a Formal Diagnosis, and What Are the Effects?

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (30) ◽  
pp. 7411-7416 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Aabom ◽  
J. Kragstrup ◽  
H. Vondeling ◽  
L.S. Bakketeig ◽  
H. Stovring
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Terminal Phase ◽  
Hospital Death ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Hematologic Cancer ◽  
Terminal Diagnosis

Purpose Physicians either do not define cancer patients as being terminal, or their prognostic estimates tend to be optimistic. This might affect patients' appropriate and timely referral to specialist palliative care services or can lead to unintended acute hospitalization. Patients and Methods We used the Danish Cancer Register and four administrative registers to perform a retrospective cohort study in 3,445 patients who died as a result of cancer. We used the Danish “terminal declaration” issued by a physician as a proxy for a formal terminal diagnosis (prognosis of death within 6 months). The terminal declaration gives right to economic benefits and increased care for the dying. We investigated patient-related factors of receiving an explicit terminal diagnosis by logistic regression and then analyzed the effects of such a diagnosis on admission rate per week and place of death. Results Thirty-four percent of patients received a formal terminal diagnosis. Age of ≥ 70 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.56; P < .001), women (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.96; P = .02), hematologic cancer (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.41; P < .001), and a less than 1-month survival time (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.15; P < .001) were associated with a lesser likelihood of receiving a formal terminal diagnosis. Explicit terminal diagnosis was associated with lower admission rate and an adjusted OR of hospital death of 0.25 (95% CI, 0.21 to 0.29). Conclusion Women and the elderly were less likely to receive a formal terminal diagnosis. The formal terminal diagnosis reduced hospital admissions and increased the possibilities of dying at home.

scholarly journals Comparison of Cancer Patients to Non-Cancer Patients among COVID-19 Inpatients at a National Level

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1436
Author(s):  
Alain Bernard ◽  
Jonathan Cottenet ◽  
Philippe Bonniaud ◽  
Lionel Piroth ◽  
Patrick Arveux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
National Level ◽  
Administrative Database ◽  
Hospital Death ◽  
Solid Cancer ◽  
Hematological Cancer ◽  
Risk Of Death

(1) Background: Several smaller studies have shown that COVID-19 patients with cancer are at a significantly higher risk of death. Our objective was to compare patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with cancer to those without cancer using national data and to study the effect of cancer on the risk of hospital death and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. (2) Methods: All patients hospitalized in France for COVID-19 in March–April 2020 were included from the French national administrative database, which contains discharge summaries for all hospital admissions in France. Cancer patients were identified within this population. The effect of cancer was estimated with logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex and comorbidities. (3) Results: Among the 89,530 COVID-19 patients, we identified 6201 cancer patients (6.9%). These patients were older and were more likely to be men and to have complications (acute respiratory and kidney failure, venous thrombosis, atrial fibrillation) than those without cancer. In patients with hematological cancer, admission to ICU was significantly more frequent (24.8%) than patients without cancer (16.4%) (p < 0.01). Solid cancer patients without metastasis had a significantly higher mortality risk than patients without cancer (aOR = 1.4 [1.3–1.5]), and the difference was even more marked for metastatic solid cancer patients (aOR = 3.6 [3.2–4.0]). Compared to patients with colorectal cancer, patients with lung cancer, digestive cancer (excluding colorectal cancer) and hematological cancer had a higher mortality risk (aOR = 2.0 [1.6–2.6], 1.6 [1.3–2.1] and 1.4 [1.1–1.8], respectively). (4) Conclusions: This study shows that, in France, patients with COVID-19 and cancer have a two-fold risk of death when compared to COVID-19 patients without cancer. We suggest the need to reorganize facilities to prevent the contamination of patients being treated for cancer, similar to what is already being done in some countries.

scholarly journals The Bambuí Health and Aging Study (BHAS): factors associated with hospitalization of the elderly

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1345-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique L. Guerra ◽  
Josélia O. A. Firmo ◽  
Elizabeth Uchoa ◽  
Maria Fernanda F. Lima-Costa
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Prescription Medications ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Minas Gerais State ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
History Of

This study aimed to identify factors associated with hospital admissions of the elderly. All residents of Bambuí, Minas Gerais State <FONT FACE=Symbol>³ 60 years (n = 1,742) were selected. Some 1,606 of these (92.2%) participated in the study. The dependent variable was the number of hospital admissions (none, one, and two or more) during the previous 12 months. Independent variables were grouped as enabling, predisposing, and need-related factors. The strongest associations with multiple hospital admissions were: living alone; financial constraints to purchase of medication; and various indicators of need (worse self-perceived health, more visits to physician, greater use of prescription medications, and history of coronary heart disease). Such variables could help identify older adults at greatest risk and thus prevent hospitalization.</font>

Psychiatric In-Patients and Out-Patients

1972 ◽  
Vol 120 (557) ◽  
pp. 474-475
Author(s):  
A. G. Mezey
Keyword(s):  
General Hospital ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Psychiatric Service ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
District General Hospital ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Referral Rate ◽  
Official Statistics ◽  
Cent Increase ◽  
Patient Referrals

The reply of Morgan and Compton in this issue of the Journal (pp. 433–6), is based on a misunderstanding of our results and of the problem investigated. This leads them into a refutation of ‘claims' never made and they buttress it with a statistical exercise of great naivety. Our findings were:(a) ‘… in certain important respects in-patients and out-patients are derived from different though overlapping populations.’ The most marked differences (dismissed by Morgan and Compton as 'slight’) were found among the elderly. ‘The admission rate for the over 65s of both sexes was 4 · 90 per 1,000. In contrast, increasing age was associated with a gradual fall of out-patient referral rate to 1 · 60 for the over 65s.’ We did not claim to have demonstrated the cause of these differences, but mentioned possible reasons for them.(b) In a district general hospital-centied psychiatric service we observed a 34 per cent increase of new out-patient referrals while hospital admissions remained static; this occurred over a period of three years, when nationally hospital admissions were still rising. We quoted in illustration some extreme figures from official statistics and the figures for the Sheffield and the Liverpool regions were extreme whether one refers to Tables 3, 11 or 13 (1). This prompted the hypothesis that an increase in new out-patient referrals can prevent admission or prove an alternative to it. No ‘claim’ was made, and we advisedly used the term 'suggestion’ to emphasize that these are ‘no more than tentative and incomplete incursions into this difficult and relatively unexplored field’ (2).

Improving cancer pain management in the emergency department: An EMR-based solution.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 12110-12110
Author(s):  
Christopher John Coyne ◽  
Ellen Kettler ◽  
Kelly Dong ◽  
James Killeen
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Cancer Pain ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Chief Complaint ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Opioid Dose ◽  
Patients With Cancer

12110 Background: Pain is common reason for patients with cancer to seek care in the emergency department (ED). Unfortunately, these patients frequently receive inadequate doses of pain medication, partially due to opioid reduction efforts in the ED, as well as opioid tolerance among those with chronic cancer pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an electronic medical record (EMR) based best practice advisory (BPA) at improving analgesic dosing for cancer patients in the ED. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study on cancer pain at two academic medical centers from 05/18/20 to 10/27/20. The BPA algorithm identified ED patients with cancer that were taking prescription opioids with a morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) of at least 100, as calculated by the EMR. If the ED provider ordered opioids for these patients, a BPA alert appeared with a recommended opioid dose based on the patient’s individual MEDD. This alert also included pre-set safety orders for O2 and end tidal CO2 monitoring as well as naloxone. We compared outcomes based on whether an ED provider accepted or cancelled the BPA recommendation. These outcomes included the change in opioid dose and ED disposition. Continuous variables were compared using the students t-test, while categorical variables were compared with the chi-squared test with an alpha of 0.05. Results: Our BPA identified 92 patients that met our criteria, representing 143 BPA alerts. The mean age was 52, 43.5% were female, 54.3% had metastatic disease, and 56.5% presented with a painful chief complaint. Of the ED providers that accepted the BPA, 57.5% increased their dose of opioid medication. BPA usage led to a 33.3% mean increase in medication dosage (p <.001). Patients that presented with a painful chief complaint, whose providers utilized the BPA were admitted at a rate of 60.5%, verses a 77.8% admission rate among those whose providers did not utilize the BPA (p <.01). No patients required an opioid reversal agent. Conclusions: Among cancer patients on chronic opioids presenting to the ED, use of an EMR-based BPA led to more appropriate opioid dosing without the need for opioid reversal agents, and was associated with an overall decrease in hospital admissions.

Incidence of atrial fibrillation in cancer patients according to cancer type

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P.S Yang ◽  
M Shim ◽  
S.H Kang ◽  
S.H Kim ◽  
W.J Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Solid Cancer ◽  
Cancer Type ◽  
Hematologic Cancer ◽  
Korean National Health Insurance ◽  
Elderly Cohort

Abstract Background and objectives The prevalence of both atrial fibrillation (AF) and cancer are increasing especially in the elderly. The occurrence of AF in cancer may be related to comorbidities of patients, cancer treatment, or a direct tumor effect. The objectives of this study were to investigate the incidence of AF according to cancer type. Methods From the Korean National Health Insurance Service elderly (NHIS-elderly) cohort (age &gt;60), we identified 67,077 patients with newly diagnosed cancer and without previous AF. Incidence rates of new onset AF were evaluated. Results The mean age of the cancer patients was 75.1 year and 53.5% were males. During a median follow-up period of 25 months, the incidence rate of AF among overall cancer patients was higher than that of age-sex matched non-cancer population (1.42 vs. 0.69 per 100 person-years, respectively). Compared with solid cancer, the risk of incident AF in patients with hematologic cancer was significantly higher (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–1.72, p&lt;0.001). Among patients with solid cancer, thoracic (lung cancer, esophageal cancer, mediastinal cancer, etc.) and breast cancer was associated with a higher risk of AF incidence compared with other solid cancer (HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.53–1.76, p&lt;0.001). Conclusions Cancer was associated with an increased incidence of AF. Hematologic cancer was associated with higher risk of AF incidence than solid cancer. Among solid cancer, thoracic and breast cancer was most strongly associated with the risk of AF incidence. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

VTE risk assessment in cancer

2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
I. Pabinger ◽  
C. Ay
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Medical Oncology ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Cancer Surgery ◽  
Ambulatory Setting ◽  
Oncology Patients ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Risk Assessment Models ◽  
Increased Risk

SummaryVenous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality, and its prevention is of major clinical importance. However, the VTE rates in the cancer population vary between 0.5% - 20%, depending on cancer-, treatment- and patient-related factors. The most important contributors to VTE risk are the tumor entity, stage and certain anticancer treatments. Cancer surgery represents a strong risk factor for VTE, and medical oncology patients are at increased risk of developing VTE, especially when receiving chemotherapy or immunomodulatory drugs. Also biomarkers have been investigated for their usefulness to predict risk of VTE (e.g. elevated leukocyte and platelet counts, soluble P-selectin, D-dimer, etc.). In order to identify cancer patients at high risk of VTE and to improve risk stratification, risk assessment models have been developed, which contain both clinical parameters and biomarkers. While primary thromboprophylaxis with lowmolecular- weight-heparin (LMWH) is recommended postoperatively for a period of up to 4 weeks after major cancer surgery, the evidence is less clear for medical oncology patients. Thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized medical oncology patients is advocated, and is based on results of randomized controlled trials which evaluated the efficacy and safety of LMWH for prevention of VTE in hospitalized medically ill patients. In recent trials the benefit of primary thromboprophylaxis in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in the ambulatory setting has been investigated. However, at the present stage primary thromboprophylaxis for prevention of VTE in these patients is still a matter of debate and cannot be recommended for all cancer outpatients.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 infection on hip fracture 30-day mortality

Trauma ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146040862094972
Author(s):  
Ahmed Fadulelmola ◽  
Rob Gregory ◽  
Gavin Gordon ◽  
Fiona Smith ◽  
Andrew Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Hip Fractures ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mean Time

Introduction: A novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, has caused a fatal global pandemic which particularly affects the elderly and those with comorbidities. Hip fractures affect elderly populations, necessitate hospital admissions and place this group at particular risk from COVID-19 infection. This study investigates the effect of COVID-19 infection on 30-day hip fracture mortality. Method: Data related to 75 adult hip fractures admitted to two units during March and April 2020 were reviewed. The mean age was 83.5 years (range 65–98 years), and most (53, 70.7%) were women. The primary outcome measure was 30-day mortality associated with COVID-19 infection. Results: The COVID-19 infection rate was 26.7% (20 patients), with a significant difference in the 30-day mortality rate in the COVID-19-positive group (10/20, 50%) compared to the COVID-19-negative group (4/55, 7.3%), with mean time to death of 19.8 days (95% confidence interval: 17.0–22.5). The mean time from admission to surgery was 43.1 h and 38.3 h, in COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative groups, respectively. All COVID-19-positive patients had shown symptoms of fever and cough, and all 10 cases who died were hypoxic. Seven (35%) cases had radiological lung findings consistent of viral pneumonitis which resulted in mortality (70% of mortality). 30% ( n = 6) contracted the COVID-19 infection in the community, and 70% ( n = 14) developed symptoms after hospital admission. Conclusion: Hip fractures associated with COVID-19 infection have a high 30-day mortality. COVID-19 testing and chest X-ray for patients presenting with hip fractures help in early planning of high-risk surgeries and allow counselling of the patients and family using realistic prognosis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document