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The following is a summary of “Perceived Gaps in Oncologic Emergency Care for Patients with Cancer: A Qualitative Comparison of Emergency Medicine and Oncologist Physician Perspectives,” published in the February 2025 issue of Cancers by Wattana et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to survey oncologists and Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians across 5 institutions, identifying key areas for improving oncologic emergency care. 

They administered a semi-structured survey in 2023 to EM attending and resident physicians and medical and surgical oncologists across 5 institutions. Open-ended responses underwent thematic analysis, where codes were created and grouped into initial themes. Themes were then reviewed by specialty for coherence and redundancy before finalization. 

The results showed that 185 of 302 accessed surveys (61.3%) had complete responses and 3 key issue domains emerged: systems-based challenges, direct patient care issues, and knowledge gaps. Oncologists most frequently reported delays in care (41%), care variability (25%), and communication issues between EM physicians and oncologists (14%). The EM physicians identified knowledge gaps in cancer therapeutics (40%) and oncologic emergencies (23%), physician comfort level (14%), timing or location of initial goals-of-care discussions (13%), and follow-up challenges (12%). 

Investigators concluded that interdisciplinary collaboration enhanced EM oncologic education, and specialized Emergency Departments (EDs) were identified as potential strategies to improve oncologic emergency care. 

Source: mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/5/828