Department of Urology, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan 330, Taiwan.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Dec 15;18(24):13233. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182413233.
(1) Background: In Taiwan, prostate cancer is a major malignancy with an increasing incidence among men. This study explores the medical utilization of emergency departments among patients with prostate cancer in Taiwan. (2) Methods: This nationwide, population-based study was conducted via a cross-sectional method based on the Registry for Catastrophic Illness Patient Database from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer between 1997 and 2013 were enrolled in the study and divided into four treatment-related groups. The rate of emergency department presentation, disease categorization of emergency department visits, emergency department-related medical expenditures, and temporal trends were investigated. (3) Results: A total of 18,728 patients with prostate cancer were identified between 1997 and 2013, for whom 13,098 emergency department visits were recorded. The number of emergency department visits increased during the study period. The incidence rate for the medical utilization of emergency department visits was 822 per 1000 people during the study period. The incidence rates for patients with prostate cancer in the radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy, androgen deprivation therapy, and chemotherapy groups were 549, 1611, 1101, and 372, respectively. The average medical expenditure per emergency department visit was TWD 3779.8 ± 5116.2, and the expenditure was recorded for the chemotherapy group at TWD 4690.8 ± 7043.3. The most common disease diagnoses among patients with prostate cancer who presented to the emergency department were injury/poisoning (16.79%), genitourinary disorders (10.66%), and digestive disorders (10.48%). (4) Conclusions: This nationwide population-based study examined the emergency department visits of patients with prostate cancer in Taiwan, providing useful information for improving the quality of medical care.
（1）背景：在台湾，前列腺癌是男性中发病率不断上升的主要恶性肿瘤。本研究探讨了台湾前列腺癌患者在急诊部门的医疗利用情况。（2）方法：这是一项基于台湾全民健康保险研究数据库中灾难性疾病患者数据库的全国性、基于人群的横断面研究。研究纳入了 1997 年至 2013 年间新诊断为前列腺癌的患者，并将其分为四个与治疗相关的组别。研究调查了急诊就诊率、急诊就诊疾病分类、急诊相关医疗支出以及时间趋势。（3）结果：在 1997 年至 2013 年间，共确定了 18728 例前列腺癌患者，其中记录了 13098 次急诊就诊。在研究期间，急诊就诊次数有所增加。研究期间，急诊就诊的发病率为每 1000 人中有 822 人。接受根治性前列腺切除术、放疗、雄激素剥夺治疗和化疗的患者的发病率分别为 549、1611、1101 和 372。每次急诊就诊的平均医疗支出为新台币 3779.8 ± 5116.2，化疗组的支出为新台币 4690.8 ± 7043.3。在因前列腺癌到急诊就诊的患者中，最常见的疾病诊断为损伤/中毒（16.79%）、泌尿生殖系统疾病（10.66%）和消化系统疾病（10.48%）。（4）结论：这项基于全国人口的研究调查了台湾前列腺癌患者的急诊就诊情况，为提高医疗质量提供了有用的信息。
