Background: Hospital readmissions are increasingly used as a quality indicator. Patients with cancer have an increased risk of readmission. The purpose of this study was to develop an in depth understanding of the causes of readmissions in patients undergoing cancer treatment using PRISMA methodology and was subsequently used to identify any potentially preventable causes of readmission in this cohort. Methods: 50 consecutive 30 day readmissions from the 1st November 2014 to the medical admissions unit (MAU) at a specialist tertiary cancer hospital in the Northwest of England were analysed retrospectively. Results: 25(50%) of the patients were male with a median age of 59 years (range 19-81). PRISMA analysis showed that active (human) factors contributed to the readmission of 4 (8%) of the readmissions, which may have been potentially preventable. All of the readmissions were driven by a medical condition related to the patient’s underlying cancer and ongoing cancer treatment. Conclusion: The majority of readmissions of patients undergoing cancer treatment appear to be related to the underlying condition and, as such, are predictable but not preventable. This suggests that hospital readmission is not a good quality indicator in this cohort of patients.
Patients with febrile neutropenia are a heterogeneous group with only a minority developing significant medical complications. Scoring systems, such as the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) score, have been developed and validated to identify low risk patients. Caring for patients with low risk febrile neutropenia in an ambulatory setting is proven to be safe and effective. Benefits include admission avoidance, cost savings and reduced risk of nosocomial infections, as well as improved patient experience and satisfaction. Implementation of an ambulatory pathway for low risk febrile neutropenia provides an excellent opportunity for Acute Physicians and Oncologists to collaborate in delivering care for this group of patients.
COVID-19, the eternal hospital winter, heatwaves, global warming, energy costs, inflation, and an unnecessary war. We truly do live in uncertain times. That said, we would wager our grandparents said the same thing. What gets us through is family, friends and out shared communities, including acute medicine. Which brings us to this edition of the journal, where many excellent articles will hopefully distract our reader from all the doom and gloom, and instead light up your grey cells.
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