Cancer patients, emergencies service and provision of palliative care.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical and sociodemographic profile of cancer patients admitted to the Emergency Center for High Complexity Oncologic Assistance, observing the coverage of palliative and home care.


METHODS
Cross sectional study including adult cancer patients admitted to the emergency service (September-December/2011) with a minimum length of hospital stay of two hours. Student's t-test and Pearson chi-square test were used to compare the means.


RESULTS
191 patients were enrolled, 47.6% elderly, 64.4% women, 75.4% from the city of Recife and greater area. The symptom prevalent at admission was pain (46.6%). 4.2% of patients were linked to palliative care and 2.1% to home care. The most prevalent cancers: cervix (18.3%), breast (13.6%) and prostate (10.5%); 70.7% were in advanced stages (IV, 47.1%); 39.4% without any cancer therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients sought the emergency service on account of pain, probably due to the incipient coverage of palliative and home care. These actions should be included to oncologic therapy as soon as possible to minimize the suffering of the patient/family and integrate the skills of oncologists and emergency professionals.
Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira, Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira, Medical Oncology Residency Program, Recife PE , Brazil, MSc in Palliative Care - Physician and Instructor of the Medical Oncology Residency Program at Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (Imip), Recife, PE, Brazil.
Bruno
B
Miranda
Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco, Imip, Lecturer of the Graduate Program, Recife PE , Brazil, PhD in Maternal and Child Health - Lecturer of the Graduate Program; Researcher of the Study Group on Management and Evaluation of Health, Imip, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Suely Arruda
SA
Vidal
Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco, Imip, Study Group on Management and Evaluation of Health, Brazil, PhD in Tropical Medicine from Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Operations Coordinator, Dinter Inca/Imip. Lecturer of the Undergraduate Program at Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, and of the Graduate Program at Imip, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Maria Júlia Gonçalves de
MJ
Mello
Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife PE , Brazil, MSc in Health Sciences from Universidade de Pernambuco. Oncology PhD Student at Dinter Inca/Imip. Vice-coordinator of the Professional Master of Palliative Care Program linked to the Medical Residency in Health, Imip. Lecturer of the Medical Undergraduate Program, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Jurema Telles de Oliveira
JT
Lima
Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife PE , Brazil, Medical Student, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Judith Correia
JC
Rêgo
Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife PE , Brazil, Medical Student, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Milena Cândido
MC
Pantaleão
Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife PE , Brazil, Medical Student, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Viviane Gomes Carneiro
VG
Leão
Health Department of Recife, Human Resource Management, Recife PE , Brazil, PhD in Public Health from Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães, Pernambuco, PE. Director of Human Resource Management, Health Department of Recife, PE, and Researcher of the Study Group on Management and Evaluation of Health, Imip, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Fernando Antônio Ribeiro de
FA
Gusmão
Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco, Imip, Dinter Inca, Recife PE , Brazil, Oncology PhD Student at Dinter Inca/Imip. Director of Hospital de Câncer de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
José Iran da
JI
Costa
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult