Treatment delays can put patients at risk

A review of studies led U.S. and Spanish researchers to conclude that healthcare delays put patients at risk.

For example, Atul Kumar of the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Stony Brook University in New York and Bhawna Halwan of Downstate Medical Center in New York said patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding admitted during the weekend are less likely to receive urgent care than those admitted during the week. Although only about 10 percent to 20 percent of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding need endoscopy, identifying those patients is crucial.

Often endoscopy is performed when it is practical and/or convenient for the endoscopist, Kumar and Halwan said in the statement. This puts weekend admissions at an unnecessary risk.

Joaquim Bellmunt of the Medical Oncology Service of Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, found that if treatment of stage II bladder cancer is delayed for more than 12 weeks after initial diagnosis, the risk of death doubles.

Prompt treatment remains fundamental to the management of stage II bladder cancer, Bellmunt said in a statement.

Anil Vachani of the Pennsylvania School of Medicine said many lung patients did not receive care within the time period recommended and such delays are associated with patient distress and unnecessary healthcare costs.

The findings are published at www.f1000medicine.com. The Faculty of 1000 Medicine is an online service that helps people stay informed of articles about health issues and access the opinions of global leaders in medicine.