# A Decade of Specialized Acute Care: Clinical Impact of an Oncology‐Hematology Emergency Room Compared to General Emergency Services

## TL;DR

This study compares the outcomes of cancer patients treated in a specialized oncology-hematology emergency room versus a general emergency department over a decade.

## Contribution

The paper presents a decade-long analysis of a dedicated oncology-hematology emergency room's clinical impact and patient outcomes.

## Key findings

- OHER had 28,680 admissions over 10 years, with 165 deaths (0.6%) during monitoring.
- OHER admissions peaked in January and were lowest in December, with Mondays being the busiest.
- OHER is shown to improve patient-centered care through specialized integration of clinical and organizational aspects.

## Abstract

The management of severe complications arising from newly diagnosed or existing cancer, as well as acute therapy‐related side effects, is traditionally provided by General Emergen‐cy Departments (GED). To address the specific needs of oncologic and hematologic patients, the University Hospital of Modena established a dedicated Oncology‐Hematology Emergency Room (OHER) in 2001 as an integral part of the Oncology and Hematology Department.

This study aims to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients admitted to OHER between 2009 and 2019, including hospitalization rates, and compare them with those of cancer patients admitted to GED over the same period. A dedicated electronic tool was developed to process medical records. The OHER staff includes oncologists and hematol‐ogists trained in internal medicine, supported by a specialized nurse who is available during daytime workdays.

A total of 28.680 OHER admissions were recorded, involving 11.239 patients. Among them, 5.326 (47%) had a single visit, while 165 (0.6%) died during their monitoring in OHER. Admis‐sions peaked in January (10%; 2,900 visits) and were lowest in December (6.8%; 1,952 visits). The busiest day was Monday (6,926 visits), at least in terms of hospitalization and mortality rates. At our Center, OHER serves as the primary point of reference for oncology and hematological patients who present with unexpected clinical deterioration.

Our analysis aims to provide clinical data from a dedicated oncology and hematology emergency room, comparing them with those observed in the general emergency room. In our ex‐perience, the OHER enhances the delivery of patient‐centered oncology care and the quality of comprehensive oncology and hematology care through its innovative integration of various clinical and organizational aspects.