RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Oncology mortality: weekend and summer vacation effect
JF BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care
JO BMJ Support Palliat Care
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e533
OP e536
DO 10.1136/spcare-2022-004143
VO 14
IS e1
A1 Rakici, Sema Yilmaz
A1 Terzi, Ozlem
YR 2024
UL http://spcare.bmj.com/content/14/e1/e533.abstract
AB Objectives In this study, we investigated the effect of the weekend and summer vacation on mortality in patients with cancer.Methods All patient data were obtained from their hospital registry records and the Death Notification System of the Ministry of Health.Results The majority of patients died in the hospital compared at home, 80.8% versus 19.2%, respectively. Patients aged <65 died mostly in hospital, which was the opposite of those aged ≥65, who died at home. While tumour location and histopathological type had no effect on the place of death, patients with metastasis (including single organ metastasis), diffuse metastases (diffuse metastases: multiple organ metastases) and patients with locally advanced stage disease were found to die more frequently in the hospital. Deaths in the hospital occurred most frequently in August, while deaths at home occurred most frequently in April and October. Deaths in the hospital occurred most frequently on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while deaths at home occurred more frequently on Monday. It was determined that the deaths in the hospital were significantly higher at the weekend.Conclusion This study contains data supporting the weekend effect in oncology patients. Moreover, it provides new data on the increased death rates in August, which coincides with the summer vacation leave month.Data are available from the RTEU medical faculty radiation oncology department. Our study was accepted as an e-poster to the 2023 XV. National Radiation Oncology Congress with Poster Number PS-066 on 2023-02-06.