©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Apr 10, 2016; 7(2): 227-233
Published online Apr 10, 2016. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v7.i2.227
Published online Apr 10, 2016. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v7.i2.227
Integrating palliative care in oncologic emergency departments: Challenges and opportunities
Ahmed F Elsayem, Hiba E Elzubeir, Patricia A Brock, Knox H Todd, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflict of interest to report.
Correspondence to: Ahmed F Elsayem, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 1468, Houston, TX 77030, United States. aelsayem@mdanderson.org
Telephone: +1-713-7922582 Fax: +1-713-7928743
Received: August 21, 2015
Peer-review started: August 24, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: December 1, 2015
Accepted: December 18, 2015
Article in press: December 21, 2015
Published online: April 10, 2016
Processing time: 229 Days and 21.2 Hours
Peer-review started: August 24, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: December 1, 2015
Accepted: December 18, 2015
Article in press: December 21, 2015
Published online: April 10, 2016
Processing time: 229 Days and 21.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Understandably, visiting the emergency department (ED) could be a difficult experience for the many cancer patients especially in the late stages. However, these visits are increasing, and it mirrors the increased in cancer therapies particularly in the last two decades. In this article; we discuss why cancer patients visit EDs, the outcome of these visits, models to help cancer patients avoid ED visits, the benefits of integrating palliative care in ED, and the challenges facing such integration.