One-Third of Ontario Cancer Patients Visit Emergency⁣ Room Before Diagnosis

A new study reveals ⁤that one-third of ‌Ontario cancer patients have visited the emergency⁤ room at least once within ⁢90 days before diagnosis and are more likely to ‌have certain types of cancer, be older‌ and live in ‌rural⁢ and disadvantaged areas.

Study Findings

The study, led ⁤by Dr. Kirat Grewal, an emergency room physician at⁣ the ⁤Schwarz/Riceman Institute of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, analyzed data from 651,071 people aged 18 and older in‍ Ontario who had been diagnosed with cancer⁣ over ‌a period⁢ of seven years.

Key findings include:

• 35% of ​patients had ‌visited the emergency‌ room at least once in ​the 90 days before diagnosis.
• Half of​ these patients had to⁤ be hospitalized.
• Certain types of cancer,⁤ such as brain, pancreatic, ⁤liver, gallbladder, ⁤and chest cancer, were more ‍likely to be ⁣diagnosed after an emergency room visit.

Early Diagnosis and Access to‍ Care

The researchers suggest‍ that increased⁢ access to breast cancer screening may contribute‌ to earlier diagnosis and reduced emergency room visits for breast⁤ cancer ​patients.

However,‌ patients from disadvantaged communities ‍and ethnic minority groups⁤ were more likely to visit the emergency​ department before diagnosis, highlighting inequalities‌ in ⁢the healthcare system.

Systemic Issues and Healthcare Inequalities

The study’s findings indicate that‌ a combination of factors, including access to primary care, specialists, and outpatient ‌diagnostics, may contribute ‍to the increased use of emergency rooms by disadvantaged groups and older adults.

Dr. Grewal notes⁢ that the shortage‌ of family doctors⁢ in Ontario, with approximately 2.3 million people without a ‍family doctor, may also⁣ play a role ‌in the trend of emergency room cancer diagnoses.