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, Belgium. It was created on January 1, 2015, when the Heilig‑Hartziekenhuis Roeselare‑Menen and the Stedelijk Ziekenhuis Roeselare merged. In 2018, the Torhout campus of AZ Sint‑Rembert joined the network, completing the current campus structure. Today, AZ Delta runs several campuses, with emergency departments at Torhout, Menen, and Roeselare. The hospital has more than 1,400 beds and employs around 4,000 staff members.
