Reasons and Related Factors of Emergency Visits by Patients with Cancer：A Survey in a Medical Center of Northern Taiwan

• Main Authors: Shu-Ching Tsai, 蔡淑卿
• Other Authors: MEI-LING CHEN
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/27472633471104953175

碩士 === 長庚大學 === 護理學研究所 === 96 === Abstract This study reviewed medical records to investigate chief complaints for emergency room (ER) visits by cancer patients in a medical center of northern Taiwan and to analyze the related factors. Retrospective design was adopted and a self-designed form was used to retrieve informations from patients’ medical records. The first three common diagnoses among cancer patients visiting the ER were colorectal, bronchial/lung, and intrahepatic/ liver cancers. About one-half patients were diagnosed as cancer less than one year and most of them were stage III or IV. The most common chief complaints were pain, fever, and dyspnea. The rate of revisiting RE within 72 hours among cancer patients was higher than that of other patients. Cancer patients tended to revisit ER with the same problem such as pain. The cancer patients’ chief complaints for ER visits varied by demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics, such as sex, cancer type, metastasis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, tumor-removed surgery, and Port-A implantation. Cancer patients’ chief complaints for ER visits also affected their trace after the departure of ER. Patients with the complaint of fever or dyspnea stayed longer in ER comparing to patients with the complaint of pain and most of them were hospitalized finally. Since the above mentioned three common chief complaints occupied almost fifty percent of all complaints, we should emphasize the symptom control and the infection prevention among cancer patients to reduce the unnecessary ER visits. Key word: cancer patients, chief complaint for ER visit, trace after ER departure