Recurrent Emergency presentations in cancer care: Using linked data to predict those at risk | Dr David Marco

This population-based analysis suggests that late palliative care involvement increases likelihood of early re-presentation to emergency department in patients with advanced cancer.

DR DAVID MARCO
Research Fellow, Palliative Nexus group and Centre for Palliative Care
UMCCR and St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

Patients with advanced cancer frequently use the emergency department (ED) towards the end of life, have higher acuity and re-presentation rates, and are more likely to be admitted than other patients. This study sought to identify factors that predict increased risk for early re-presentation to hospital ED for advanced cancer patients and explore the association between the timing of prior palliative care utilisation and ED re-presentation.

Dr Marco's research modelled several patient characteristics and identified the timing of prior palliative care utilisation as the most important predictor of ED utilisation in the immediate future. The findings suggest both that there is a role for ED care in patients with advanced cancer, and that ‘early’ palliative care involvement can minimise ED presentations that may be managed better in alternative care systems.

Dr David Marco is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Palliative Care and an Associate Researcher with Palliative Nexus. He has a keen interest in bringing quantitative data to the clinical interface and enjoys collaborating with clinicians directly on evaluating service models for serious illness and finding evidence-based solutions for current gaps in care. His research has spanned across areas including music perception and cognition, cancer, and epilepsy.