The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk index score: Neutropenic fever and provider intuition

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study retrospectively applied the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk index to examine the relationship between a provider’s intuition and how the MASCC would have determined a patient’s course of treatment. Methods: Patient records from three sites over three years (n=105) were reviewed to compare their MASCC score to their actual course of treatment, including antibiotics prescribed, precautions, and other factors. Results: Although providers were accurate in admitting patients a majority of the time (58.1%), there is room for improvement for patients need for admittance based on their risk, a patient’s needs intravenous or oral antibiotics, and their precautions. Conclusion: Emphasis should be placed on increasing exposure to the MASCC for provider use so that patients can have increased positive outcomes without risk of further complications or delay in oncology treatment.