Methods for analysing national routine electronic records for cancer patients in England

在英国，癌症几乎导致三分之一的死亡。为癌症患者提供高质量的临终护理应该确保他们在家中有尊严地、没有痛苦地度过生命的这一重要阶段。然而，大多数癌症患者在生命即将结束时需要计划外的医院护理。这可能涉及高强度治疗，对患者和家属的生活质量产生直接的负面影响。以结直肠癌为例，这项研究旨在提高我们对为什么一些癌症患者在临终时比其他患者需要更多计划外医院治疗的理解。这项研究将使用英国近年来死于结直肠癌的所有患者的数据。这些数据将包括患者的特征(例如年龄)、他们的癌症诊断(例如癌症部位)、治疗(例如外科手术)和医疗保健环境(例如主要医院)。这些因素与急症室求诊、非计划入院和深切治疗部的紧急入院情况的关系，将会予以确定。

Cancer causes almost 1 in 3 deaths in the U.K. High-quality care for cancer patients near the end of life should ensure that they live this important stage of life with dignity, without pain, and at home. However, most cancer patients require unplanned hospital care near the end of life. This can involve high-intensity treatment, with immediate negative effects on the quality of patients' and families' lives. Using colorectal cancer as an exemplar, this research study aims to improve our understanding of why some cancer patients require more unplanned hospital treatment near the end of life than other patients. The study will use data for all patients who have died from colorectal cancer in England in recent years. These data will include characteristics of patients (e.g. age), their cancer diagnosis (e.g. site of cancer), treatment (e.g. surgical operation), and healthcare context (e.g. main hospital). The relationship of each of these factors with visits to accident and emergency (A&E) departments, unplanned admissions to hospital, and emergency admissions to intensive care units will be determined.