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Symptom-related emergency department visits and hospital admissions during ambulatory cancer treatment
Background People with cancer experience symptoms related to the disease and treatments. Symptom distress has a negative impact on quality of life (QoL). Attending to symptoms and side effects of treatment promotes safe and effective delivery of therapies and may prevent or reduce emergency department visits (EDVs) and unplanned hospital admissions (HAs). There is limited evidence examining symptom-related EDVs or HAs (sx-EDV/HAs) and interventions in ambulatory oncology patients.
Objective To examine factors associated with sx-EDV/HAs in ambulatory oncology patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Methods This secondary analysis used data from a randomized controlled trial of ambulatory oncology patients (n = 663) who received the web-based Electronic Self-Report Assessment – Cancer intervention (symptom self-monitoring, tailored education, and communication coaching) or usual care with symptom self-monitoring alone. Group differences were described by summary statistics and compared by t test. Factors associated with the odds of at least 1 sx-EDV/HA were modeled using logistic regression.
Results 98 patients had a total of 171 sx-EDV/HAs with no difference between groups. Higher odds of at least 1 sx-EDV/HA were associated with socioeconomic and clinical factors. The multivariable model indicated that work status, education level, treatment modality, and on-treatment Symptom Distress Scale-15 scores were significantly associated with having at least 1 sx-EDV/HA.
Limitations This is a secondary analysis not sized to determine cause and effect. The results have limited generalizability.
Conclusion Most patients did not experience a sx-EDV/HA. Demographic and clinical factors predicted a sx-EDV/HA.
Funding National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, R01 NR008726; 2008-2011
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Background People with cancer experience symptoms related to the disease and treatments. Symptom distress has a negative impact on quality of life (QoL). Attending to symptoms and side effects of treatment promotes safe and effective delivery of therapies and may prevent or reduce emergency department visits (EDVs) and unplanned hospital admissions (HAs). There is limited evidence examining symptom-related EDVs or HAs (sx-EDV/HAs) and interventions in ambulatory oncology patients.
Objective To examine factors associated with sx-EDV/HAs in ambulatory oncology patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Methods This secondary analysis used data from a randomized controlled trial of ambulatory oncology patients (n = 663) who received the web-based Electronic Self-Report Assessment – Cancer intervention (symptom self-monitoring, tailored education, and communication coaching) or usual care with symptom self-monitoring alone. Group differences were described by summary statistics and compared by t test. Factors associated with the odds of at least 1 sx-EDV/HA were modeled using logistic regression.
Results 98 patients had a total of 171 sx-EDV/HAs with no difference between groups. Higher odds of at least 1 sx-EDV/HA were associated with socioeconomic and clinical factors. The multivariable model indicated that work status, education level, treatment modality, and on-treatment Symptom Distress Scale-15 scores were significantly associated with having at least 1 sx-EDV/HA.
Limitations This is a secondary analysis not sized to determine cause and effect. The results have limited generalizability.
Conclusion Most patients did not experience a sx-EDV/HA. Demographic and clinical factors predicted a sx-EDV/HA.
Funding National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, R01 NR008726; 2008-2011
Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.
Background People with cancer experience symptoms related to the disease and treatments. Symptom distress has a negative impact on quality of life (QoL). Attending to symptoms and side effects of treatment promotes safe and effective delivery of therapies and may prevent or reduce emergency department visits (EDVs) and unplanned hospital admissions (HAs). There is limited evidence examining symptom-related EDVs or HAs (sx-EDV/HAs) and interventions in ambulatory oncology patients.
Objective To examine factors associated with sx-EDV/HAs in ambulatory oncology patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Methods This secondary analysis used data from a randomized controlled trial of ambulatory oncology patients (n = 663) who received the web-based Electronic Self-Report Assessment – Cancer intervention (symptom self-monitoring, tailored education, and communication coaching) or usual care with symptom self-monitoring alone. Group differences were described by summary statistics and compared by t test. Factors associated with the odds of at least 1 sx-EDV/HA were modeled using logistic regression.
Results 98 patients had a total of 171 sx-EDV/HAs with no difference between groups. Higher odds of at least 1 sx-EDV/HA were associated with socioeconomic and clinical factors. The multivariable model indicated that work status, education level, treatment modality, and on-treatment Symptom Distress Scale-15 scores were significantly associated with having at least 1 sx-EDV/HA.
Limitations This is a secondary analysis not sized to determine cause and effect. The results have limited generalizability.
Conclusion Most patients did not experience a sx-EDV/HA. Demographic and clinical factors predicted a sx-EDV/HA.
Funding National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, R01 NR008726; 2008-2011
Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.