Background: Prognostication of survival in advanced cancer patients has been challenging and contributes to poor illness understanding. Disagreements among providers about prognosis occur and is a less studied phenomenon. We asked the Surprise Question (SQ), “Would I be surprised if this patient died within the next 1 year, 6 months, and 1 month?” to Palliative [...]

Background: Millions of patients with cancer are hospitalized each year in the US for treatment or complications of their disease. Increasing numbers are cared for by hospitalists on services dedicated to patients with cancer. Little is known about the practice characteristics or working environment of this expanding pool of oncology hospitalists. Methods: Using a modified [...]

Background: Standardizing inter-shift handoff procedures enhances continuity of care and quality with an associated reduction in preventable medical errors. This is particularly relevant in the inpatient oncology population where patients have a relatively high morbidity/mortality compared to the general inpatient population. With increasing handoffs due to work hour restrictions, and rising utilization of multidisciplinary teams, [...]

Case Presentation: A 95 year old woman with a remote history of treated breast cancer and endometrial cancer presented to the hospital with severe abdominal pain and somnolence. One month prior, the patient was living independently in her usual state of health. She developed dysuria and malaise and visited an outside hospital. Routine laboratory testing [...]