OBJECTIVES: This research aimed at quantifying the patient safety risks in a hospital setting considering 2 potential oncology scenarios:

METHODS: The patient pathways of the scenarios were mapped according with the UK NHS guidelines and their generalizability was tested through experts interviews in the EMEA region. The baseline risks associated with each step of the patient journeys were quantified through desk literature research, including the additional length of stay associated with each potential adverse event. A discrete event simulation was developed to recreate the hospital environment and quantify the overall risks along the patient journeys if no preventive actions were put in place.

RESULTS: The patient journeys were validated in different EMEA hospitals and the following type of risks that could impact the patients, if not prevented, were identified: pre-treatment diagnostic errors leading to delay or incorrect treatment; medication management errors (including dispensing, preparation, and administration) and hospital acquired infections (including catheter-related bloodstream infections; surgical and urinary infections for the surgical pathway only). The simulation quantified that in Scenario 1, every 1’000 patients getting day-case IV chemotherapy, there is a risk of 22 possible complications: 11 in the diagnostic moment and 11 in the medication management process. In Scenario 2, every 1’000 patients getting surgery, 154 complications can occur, including 49 surgical site infections and 17 urinary treat infections, leading to more than 3’800 extra bed days in the wards and 465 extra bed days in ICU.

CONCLUSIONS: An oncology patient entering a hospital is facing many hazards that can put safety at risk and increase pressure on hospitals capacity. The adoption of best practices and effective technologies to prevent such risks should be incentivized by hospital decision makers.