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The following is a summary of “Perspectives of emergency department physicians and nurses on reasons for preventable emergency department visits by patients with cancer,” published in the April 2024, issue of Emergency Medicine by Pettit, et al.

Patients with cancer often seek medical care in the emergency department (ED), with nearly half of these visits deemed preventable. Such visits lead to higher healthcare costs and poorer patient experiences and outcomes. However, the perspectives of ED providers on preventable visits by patients with cancer have not been thoroughly explored. For a study, researchers sought to capture the viewpoints of ED physicians and nurses regarding the reasons behind preventable ED visits by patients with cancer.

A qualitative descriptive approach was used. They conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with physicians and nurses of ED to gather their insights on preventable ED visits by patients with cancer. A content analysis was performed to categorize and describe the reasons discussed.

Participants identified five “medical” and five “non-medical” causes of preventable ED visits. Medical reasons included uncontrolled cancer pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, anemia, fever, and ongoing undiagnosed signs and symptoms. Non-medical reasons encompassed patient reluctance to contact primary care providers, unavailability or unresponsiveness of primary care providers, lack of access to care, poor care coordination, and patients’ fears about diagnosis and treatment.

Incorporating the perspectives of ED providers is crucial in addressing preventable ED visits by patients with cancer. The identified reasons indicated that addressing this issue will require interventions at the patient, provider, system, and societal levels.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675724000160