Quality improvement program in radiation oncology: understanding patient hospitalizations, treatment breaks, and weight loss in patients receiving radiotherapy

Radiation Oncology
Varun ChowdhryCocav Rauwerdink

Abstract

The reporting of adverse effects is an integral aspect of a hospital quality improvement (QI) program with the goal of improving care for current and future patients. We report the results of our experience tracking patient hospitalizations, treatment breaks, and weight loss in patients receiving radiotherapy as part of a departmental QI program. In 2014, the Center for Cancer Care at Exeter hospital developed a departmental quality initiative to track adverse outcomes in a population of patients receiving radiation therapy. Criteria for inclusion in this initiative included: treatment break ≥3 days, hospitalization either while on treatment of within 2 weeks of treatment, death within 2 weeks of treatment, or weight loss of ≥10%. Patients included on this registry were reviewed at regularly scheduled departmental QI meetings, where solutions for improvement were discussed. Ninety-one patients were identified as having an event that meet the above-mentioned criteria. Forty-three patients were receiving concurrent chemotherapy (47.2%) Fifty-four (54.9%) patients had toxicity directly attributable to their treatment. Sixty-five patients (71.4%) were treated with curative intent. Nineteen patients (21.1%) died either during the co...Continue Reading

References

Jul 30, 1995·International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics·D G PetereitD A Buchler
Aug 13, 2003·Journal of General Internal Medicine·Jay D Orlander, B Graeme Fincke
Jun 2, 2005·Journal of the National Cancer Institute·William F HartsellMichelle DeSilvio
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Sep 8, 2010·The New England Journal of Medicine·Jennifer S TemelThomas J Lynch
Apr 23, 2015·Journal of Oncology Practice·Daniel G Stover, Jessica A Zerillo

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Citations

Aug 8, 2019·Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care·Shilpa Mukunda Chowdhry, Varun Kumar Chowdhry

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