Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience
Abstract Background In recent years, benchmarking and assessment methods to improve the quality of care have become increasingly important. Such approaches allow for a uniform assessment, comparisons between centers or over time, and the identification of weaknesses. In this study, the results of a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | BMC Cancer |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10253-8 |
| _version_ | 1811186958634844160 |
|---|---|
| author | Marcin Ziętek Jędrzej Wierzbicki Edyta Pawlak Adam Maciejczyk Rafał Matkowski |
| author_facet | Marcin Ziętek Jędrzej Wierzbicki Edyta Pawlak Adam Maciejczyk Rafał Matkowski |
| author_sort | Marcin Ziętek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background In recent years, benchmarking and assessment methods to improve the quality of care have become increasingly important. Such approaches allow for a uniform assessment, comparisons between centers or over time, and the identification of weaknesses. In this study, the results of a 20-month pilot program to assess, monitor and improve the quality of care in melanoma patients primarily treated surgically are presented. Methods The pilot program started in May 2020 at the Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Hematology Center (LSOPHC) in Wroclaw, Poland (Lower Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern province of Poland with a population of 2,9 million). The program involved the introduction of a synoptic histopathological protocol, medical coordinators, and a set of measures to assess oncological care. In total, 11 Skin Cancer Unit (SCU) measures were introduced to analyze clinical outcomes, diagnostic quality, and duration. Data from 352 patients covered by the program were analyzed. In addition, the completeness of diagnostics from external sites was compared to our own results. Furthermore, the timeliness of the initial diagnostic tests and in-depth diagnostics were assessed and compared to the timeliness before implementation of the pilot program. Results The introduced measures assessed the mortality related to oncological treatment, the rate of complications, advanced stages of melanoma, the completeness and duration of diagnostics, the involved nodes after lymphadenectomy, and melanoma screening. During the study period, the timeliness of the initial diagnostics was maintained at 87.8%, and the timeliness of the in-depth diagnostics at 89.5%. Compared to a similar period before the program, these values were 36.1% and 67.5%, respectively. Conclusion The introduced measures seem to be effective and practical tools for benchmarking clinical and diagnostic aspects. They also allowed for a sensitive assessment of individual issues and indicated sensitive points. Furthermore, the actions undertaken in this pilot program allowed for a shortening of the duration of diagnostics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:53:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-886c38b8a86a4f118002c11e8035be5b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2407 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:53:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Cancer |
| spelling | doaj.art-886c38b8a86a4f118002c11e8035be5b2022-12-22T04:20:24ZengBMCBMC Cancer1471-24072022-11-0122111310.1186/s12885-022-10253-8Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experienceMarcin Ziętek0Jędrzej Wierzbicki1Edyta Pawlak2Adam Maciejczyk3Rafał Matkowski4Department of Oncology, Wrocław Medical UniversityDolnośląskie Centrum Onkologii, Pulmonologii i Hematologii (Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Hematology Center)Laboratory of Immunopathology, Department of Experimental Therapy, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology & Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesDepartment of Oncology, Wrocław Medical UniversityDepartment of Oncology, Wrocław Medical UniversityAbstract Background In recent years, benchmarking and assessment methods to improve the quality of care have become increasingly important. Such approaches allow for a uniform assessment, comparisons between centers or over time, and the identification of weaknesses. In this study, the results of a 20-month pilot program to assess, monitor and improve the quality of care in melanoma patients primarily treated surgically are presented. Methods The pilot program started in May 2020 at the Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Hematology Center (LSOPHC) in Wroclaw, Poland (Lower Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern province of Poland with a population of 2,9 million). The program involved the introduction of a synoptic histopathological protocol, medical coordinators, and a set of measures to assess oncological care. In total, 11 Skin Cancer Unit (SCU) measures were introduced to analyze clinical outcomes, diagnostic quality, and duration. Data from 352 patients covered by the program were analyzed. In addition, the completeness of diagnostics from external sites was compared to our own results. Furthermore, the timeliness of the initial diagnostic tests and in-depth diagnostics were assessed and compared to the timeliness before implementation of the pilot program. Results The introduced measures assessed the mortality related to oncological treatment, the rate of complications, advanced stages of melanoma, the completeness and duration of diagnostics, the involved nodes after lymphadenectomy, and melanoma screening. During the study period, the timeliness of the initial diagnostics was maintained at 87.8%, and the timeliness of the in-depth diagnostics at 89.5%. Compared to a similar period before the program, these values were 36.1% and 67.5%, respectively. Conclusion The introduced measures seem to be effective and practical tools for benchmarking clinical and diagnostic aspects. They also allowed for a sensitive assessment of individual issues and indicated sensitive points. Furthermore, the actions undertaken in this pilot program allowed for a shortening of the duration of diagnostics.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10253-8MelanomaPilot studyBenchmarkingQuality indicatorsPatient pathway |
| spellingShingle | Marcin Ziętek Jędrzej Wierzbicki Edyta Pawlak Adam Maciejczyk Rafał Matkowski Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience BMC Cancer Melanoma Pilot study Benchmarking Quality indicators Patient pathway |
| title | Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience |
| title_full | Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience |
| title_fullStr | Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience |
| title_short | Introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland: a report of 20 months experience |
| title_sort | introduction of a pilot program to measure and improve the clinical care of melanoma patients in the lower silesian voivodeship in poland a report of 20 months experience |
| topic | Melanoma Pilot study Benchmarking Quality indicators Patient pathway |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10253-8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcinzietek introductionofapilotprogramtomeasureandimprovetheclinicalcareofmelanomapatientsinthelowersilesianvoivodeshipinpolandareportof20monthsexperience AT jedrzejwierzbicki introductionofapilotprogramtomeasureandimprovetheclinicalcareofmelanomapatientsinthelowersilesianvoivodeshipinpolandareportof20monthsexperience AT edytapawlak introductionofapilotprogramtomeasureandimprovetheclinicalcareofmelanomapatientsinthelowersilesianvoivodeshipinpolandareportof20monthsexperience AT adammaciejczyk introductionofapilotprogramtomeasureandimprovetheclinicalcareofmelanomapatientsinthelowersilesianvoivodeshipinpolandareportof20monthsexperience AT rafałmatkowski introductionofapilotprogramtomeasureandimprovetheclinicalcareofmelanomapatientsinthelowersilesianvoivodeshipinpolandareportof20monthsexperience |