Torhout (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – AZ Delta Torhout, led by Dr Birgit Mispelaere, launched a 2-year pilot to improve emergency care for palliative cancer patients, involving families, caregivers. The hospital received the Pfizer Oncology Award and Grant from the Foundation against Cancer for this project.
As VRT News reported, AZ Delta Torhout has started a pilot project to improve emergency care for palliative cancer patients.
“We sense from our experience that things are going wrong,”
says Dr Birgit Mispelaere.
“We are now going to investigate whether it’s true that palliative cancer patients are actually treated differently in the emergency department. A palliative oncology patient is a cancer patient whose disease is no longer curable, and where the focus is primarily on pain management.”
What is AZ Delta Torhout doing to improve emergency care for palliative cancer patients?
A first small study showed that these patients often wait longer than others because their needs are seen as less urgent. They mentioned that the emergency department can feel crowded and cold, which adds stress for patients and families. Patients also often get tests that are not needed. These tests can be hard on patients and make their visit more difficult.
“In the emergency room, for example, a whole procedure is initiated. Blood is drawn, a lung X-ray is taken, or an ECG is performed. That’s standard procedure, but for some of these palliative patients, it’s no longer necessary at all.
We also want these patients to no longer have to lie on a stretcher in a visible room, so that the experience is more pleasant.”
The palliative care team at AZ Delta Torhout is now creating a new care pathway for these patients. The plan focuses on helping patients move through the emergency department more quickly. It will avoid unnecessary tests. Family members will also be allowed to stay with patients. The team wants to understand the causes of delays and make changes that improve care.
The initiative involves not only doctors and healthcare staff but also patients, family members, informal caregivers, general practitioners, and residential care centres in the region. Hospital officials say that including all these groups helps give a complete view of the patient experience.
The project is scheduled to run for 2 years. During this time, the hospital will map and analyse how palliative patients move through the emergency department. The new care pathway will first be implemented at the Torhout campus. Afterwards, it will be expanded to the Menen and Roeselare campuses, which also have emergency departments.
The main objective is to reduce the time palliative oncology patients spend in the emergency room and to make their stay more comfortable and tailored to their specific needs. The project has already received recognition, winning the Pfizer Oncology Award and a major Social Grant from the Dutch Cancer Society.
“If this care pathway effectively delivers what we expect, it can serve as a blueprint for hospitals throughout Flanders and even beyond,” concludes Dr Mispelaere. “With this project, we truly want to play a pioneering role in how we organise palliative care in the emergency room.”
AZ Delta is a major hospital network in West Flanders,
Oh great, another pilot project to make sure the dying get a comfy stretcher. How delightful! 😂 Next, they’ll be offering them a complimentary cup of tea while they wait forever for the ‘urgent’ care. Isn’t it just charming how a hospital needs a pilot project to remember that palliative patients might prefer not to be treated like a side of beef? 🥩 #EmergencyRoomExperiments Oh brilliant, a new pilot for palliative care! Because what every cancer patient really needs is to feel like they’re in a 5-star waiting room at a dodgy bus station. 👌 Oh, splendid! A two-year pilot to fix what’s been broken for ages. Because nothing says “we care” quite like a lengthy study while patients wait in a cold, crowded room, right? 🤦♂️ Oh, brilliant! A two-year pilot to figure out that palliative care patients shouldn’t be treated like a bag of potatoes in the emergency room. Who knew? 🌟 Looks like Dr. Mispelaere is on a mission to make emergency care for palliative patients less of a waiting game and more of a “who needs tests anyway?” fest. Bravo to them for turning the ER into a cozy corner instead of a cold assembly line—who knew comfort could actually win awards? 😂 Oh, brilliant! Because who doesn’t want a two-year pilot project to figure out if palliative patients are treated like second-class citizens in the ER? 🤦♂️ Just what we needed, more bureaucracy to solve what should be common sense! Oh, brilliant! A two-year pilot just to figure out if palliative patients deserve better than a cold stretcher in a crowded ER. Quite the cutting-edge innovation, isn’t it? 😏 Blimey, a two-year pilot for palliative care in an emergency room? Just what we needed—a masterclass on how to make a stressful situation even more complicated! 🤦♂️ Oh, splendid! A pilot project for palliative care—because who wouldn’t want to wait longer in a hospital than at a Belgian café? 🍻 Oh great, another pilot project to improve care in a place where patients are treated like they’re queuing for a bus on a rainy Tuesday. Can’t wait to see if they serve biscuits with the pain management! 🍪😏 At the end of May, Russia gifted Kazakhstan a pair of adult Amur tigers and two cubs for release into the wild, aiming to boost the population of large predators in Central Asia. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this news prior to his official visit to Kazakhstan.
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