{
  "abstract": "Objective The emergency department (ED) often serves as a crucial pathway for cancer diagnosis. However, little is known about the management of patients with new suspected cancer diagnoses in the ED. The objective of this study was to explore emergency physicians’ experiences in managing patients with a newly suspected cancer diagnosis in the ED.Design Between January and April 2024, we conducted a qualitative descriptive study. Interviews were conducted by trained research personnel using a semistructured interview guide. Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was achieved. The interview transcripts were coded and thematic analysis was used to uncover key themes.Setting and participants Emergency physicians practising in Ontario, Canada.Results 20 emergency physicians were interviewed. Four themes around the management of patients with new suspected cancer diagnoses in the ED were identified: (1) healthcare system-level factors that impact suspected cancer diagnosis through the ED, (2) institutional and provider-level challenges associated with managing patients with a suspected cancer diagnosis in the ED, (3) patient-level characteristics and experiences of receiving a cancer diagnosis in the ED and (4) the need for care coordination for patients with suspected cancer in the ED.Conclusions Physicians experienced several unique challenges in managing patients with a suspected cancer diagnosis in the ED. Overall, the findings of this study suggest these challenges often make the ED a difficult environment in which to deliver a suspected cancer diagnosis.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Carley Moore"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Bojana Petrovic"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Jacqueline L Bender"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Cameron Thompson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Shelley L McLeod"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Emergency Medicine, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada",
        "NOSM University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "David Savage"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Bjug Borgundvaag"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Howard Ovens"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Jonathan Irish"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Antoine Eskander"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Sheldon Cheskes"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Monika Krzyzanowska"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Emergency Medicine and Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Kerstin de Wit"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "North York General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Rohit Mohindra"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Emergency Medicine and the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada",
        "The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Venkatesh Thiruganasambandamoorthy"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Keerat Grewal"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Emergency physicians’ experiences managing patients with a suspected cancer diagnosis in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study",
  "uid": "18353316-db80-55d5-9ac1-6120068ace16"
}