Article

A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Utilization of an Urgent Care Clinic for Cancer

April R. Gallik

Susan Buchholz

Karen Mayer

Teresa O'Brien

quality improvement, urgent care, emergency department, cancer
CJON 2022, 26(1), 48-53. DOI: 10.1188/22.CJON.48-53

Background: Nationally, patients with cancer experience high numbers of emergency department (ED) visits. Many ED visits may be prevented using cancer-specific urgent care services.

Objectives: The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to first assess the reasons that adult patients with cancer used the ED instead of an urgent care clinic for cancer (UCC-C). Second, an education program was developed and implemented to improve UCC-C use.

Methods: Using semistructured interviews pre- and postintervention (education program about ED/UCC-C use), this project described knowledge of adult patients with cancer about using the ED instead of the UCC-C. The project also evaluated the efficacy of the education intervention.

Findings: Pre- to postimplementation change showed an increase in patient UCC-C knowledge, patients who said they would present to the UCC-C, and patients who presented to the UCC-C for treatment. In addition, there was a decrease in adult patients with cancer who presented to the ED and were subsequently hospitalized.

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