Improving quality of care within the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) network.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 178-178
Author(s):  
Kathleen M. Castro ◽  
Eliot Lawrence Friedman ◽  
Nadesa Mack ◽  
Robert D. Siegel ◽  
Jana Eisenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Multidisciplinary Care ◽  
Program Goal ◽  
Cancer Centers ◽  
Quality Reporting ◽  
National Quality

178 Background: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) was initiated to expand cancer research and deliver quality cancer care in communities. A program goal was support of quality care initiatives. Twenty-one community sites in 16 states participated in the network providing care to approximately 40,000 cancer patients/year. We describe strategies for implementation of a structured quality program within our network. Methods: Four components served as the foundation for quality efforts: 1) increasing multidisciplinary care (MDC) programs; 2) ASCO QOPI participation; 3) Commission on Cancer Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) participation; and 4) expansion of genetic counseling/services. A Quality of Care subcommittee formed to guide quality efforts within the network. Clinicians from the network served as subcommittee leadership and each site designated a quality of care lead. The subcommittee met by teleconference monthly, developed goals, shared best practices, developed processes to accomplish goals and documented improvements in priority areas. Results: Strategies employed to improve quality included: assessment tool development, participation in national quality reporting initiatives, review and monitoring of network data, and network performance improvement projects. Conclusions: The NCCCP identified areas of needed quality improvement. In addition, the network developed implementation strategies and created benchmarks that measure program quality. Participants benefitted from the opportunity to interface with one another and set network goals, while adopting strategies to best fit their own practices and community sites. [Table: see text]

What constitutes high-quality NSCLC care? Overarching quality considerations for improving NSCLC care at US cancer centers.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19181-e19181
Author(s):  
Mark A. Socinski ◽  
Leigh Boehmer
Keyword(s):  
Care Coordination ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Multidisciplinary Care ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
Patient Journey ◽  
Cancer Centers ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Multidisciplinary Practice ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Care Guidelines

e19181 Background: While clinical guidelines for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) provide recommendations on specific individual components of care and advocate multidisciplinary collaboration, guidance on multidisciplinary care spanning the complete patient journey is lacking. Quality-focused recommendations for the multidisciplinary team, along with selected clinical criteria for ideal NSCLC care, were compiled, and a new set of metrics encompassing the entire care continuum was proposed. These metrics were used to set a new benchmark for ideal NSCLC care through the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ (ACCC) national quality care initiative for patients with advanced (stage III/IV) NSCLC. Methods: The ACCC convened an expert steering committee of multidisciplinary specialists and representation from patient advocacy, who identified and compiled evidence-based recommendations via a systematic search of clinical and quality care guidelines and peer-reviewed journals. Ideal quality recommendations were organized within key care areas of the patient journey: care coordination, diagnosis, and treatment. Results: A total of 32 recommendations were included. Of these, 9 were key unpublished recommendations on NSCLC care, including diagnosis and biomarker testing, treatment planning, care coordination, and patient education (Table). Conclusions: These recommendations define the criteria for ideal NSCLC care and serve as a valuable resource to guide multidisciplinary practice and quality improvement initiatives. [Table: see text]

Streamlining federally mandated quality metric reporting in cancer care.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 68-68
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Kidin ◽  
Ronald Stewart Walters ◽  
Doug Browning ◽  
Sarah H Taylor ◽  
Victoria S. Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Early Identification ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Public Reporting ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Cancer Centers ◽  
Quality Reporting ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Longitudinal Data Collection

68 Background: Public reporting has been an established process for non-PPS exempt hospitals since the inception of the Core Measures in 2001; however, Cancer Centers were not subject to public reporting and had no standardized established formal mechanism to collect, analyze and report clinical quality data until the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. The first three Clinical Process/Oncology Care Measures must be submitted through the American College of Surgeons Rapid Quality Reporting (RQRS) system. Since registries are designed to provide a retrospective snapshot of the patient population during the first four months of the disease process, the change to longitudinal data collection, while critical for intervention in time to improve concordance, is extremely difficult for cancer centers with large volumes and complex cases. Our institution created a collaborative interdisciplinary model utilizing quality management nurses to support and enhance the submission process by utilizing an early identification and intervention process. Methods: Prior to implementation, the average submission time for the initial three oncology specific metrics was eight months due to the significant effort to determine the analytic population based on our volume of patients. In addition, many patients receive treatments outside the facility with little or no documentation that often resulted in the inability to determine metric concordance. Results: The new process identified patients at two months and created a robust follow up and validation process utilizing a model to ensure evidence based care is provided across the continuum. This enabled monthly submission to RQRS at the end of three months and leveraged the system to ensure that patients had the appropriate therapy documented in the system. This process shortened the submission time to less than half and initial projections indicate increased overall compliance. Conclusions: We enhanced the process of submission for federally mandated measures to RQRS by initiating early identification and follow up. This significantly impacted our ability to accurately represent the high quality care provided at our institution and provide documented concordance with national quality measures.

scholarly journals Parental Involvement Policies for Minors Seeking Abortion in the Southeast and Quality of Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari White ◽  
Subasri Narasimhan ◽  
Sophie A. Hartwig ◽  
Erin Carroll ◽  
Alexandra McBrayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Patient Centeredness ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Staff Members

Abstract Introduction Thirty-seven states require minors seeking abortion to involve a parent, either through notification or consent. Little research has examined how implementation of these laws affect service delivery and quality of care for those who involve a parent. Methods Between May 2018 and September 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 staff members involved in scheduling, counseling, and administration at abortion facilities in three Southeastern states. Interviews explored procedures for documenting parental involvement, minors’ and parents’ reactions to requirements, and challenges with implementation and compliance. Both inductive and deductive codes, informed by the Institute of Medicine’s healthcare quality framework, were used in the thematic analysis. Results Parental involvement laws adversely affected four quality care domains: efficiency, patient-centeredness, timeliness, and equity. Administrative inefficiencies stemmed from the extensive documentation needed to prove an adult’s relationship to a minor, increasing the time and effort needed to comply with state reporting requirements. If parents were not supportive of their minor’s decision, participants felt they had a duty to intervene to ensure the minor’s decision and needs remained centered. Staff further noted that delays to timely care accumulated as minors navigated parental involvement and other state mandates, pushing some beyond gestational age limits. Lower income families and those with complex familial arrangements had greater difficulty meeting state requirements. Conclusions Parental involvement mandates undermine health service delivery and quality for minors seeking abortion services in the Southeast. Policy Implications Removing parental involvement requirements would protect minors’ reproductive autonomy and support the provision of equitable, patient-centered healthcare.

Quality of care in breast cancer centers: Results of benchmarking by the German Cancer Society and German Society for Breast Diseases

The Breast ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Kowalski ◽  
Julia Ferencz ◽  
Sara Y. Brucker ◽  
Rolf Kreienberg ◽  
Simone Wesselmann
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
German Society ◽  
Breast Diseases ◽  
German Cancer Society ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
Cancer Centers

Content of antenatal care and perception about services provided by primary hospitals in Nepal: a convergent mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubraj Acharya ◽  
Nigel James ◽  
Rita Thapa ◽  
Saman Naz ◽  
Rishav Shrestha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
National Level ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
World Health ◽  
Outcome Variable

Abstract Background Nepal has made significant strides in maternal and neonatal mortality over the last three decades. However, poor quality of care can threaten the gains, as maternal and newborn services are particularly sensitive to quality of care. Our study aimed to understand current gaps in the process and the outcome dimensions of the quality of antenatal care (ANC), particularly at the sub-national level. We assessed these dimensions of the quality of ANC in 17 primary, public hospitals across Nepal. We also assessed the variation in the ANC process across the patients’ socio-economic gradient. Methods We used a convergent mixed methods approach, whereby we triangulated qualitative and quantitative data. In the quantitative component, we observed interactions between providers (17 hospitals from all 7 provinces) and 198 women seeking ANC and recorded the tasks the providers performed, using the Service Provision Assessments protocol available from the Demographic and Health Survey program. The main outcome variable was the number of tasks performed by the provider during an ANC consultation. The tasks ranged from identifying potential signs of danger to providing counseling. We analyzed the resulting data descriptively and assessed the relationship between the number of tasks performed and users’ characteristics. In the qualitative component, we synthesized users’ and providers’ narratives on perceptions of the overall quality of care obtained through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Results Out of the 59 tasks recommended by the World Health Organization, providers performed only 22 tasks (37.3%) on average. The number of tasks performed varied significantly across provinces, with users in province 3 receiving significantly higher quality care than those in other provinces. Educated women were treated better than those with no education. Users and providers agreed that the overall quality of care was inadequate, although providers mentioned that the current quality was the best they could provide given the constraints they faced. Conclusion The quality of ANC in Nepal’s primary hospitals is poor and inequitable across education and geographic gradients. While current efforts, such as the provision of 24/7 birthing centers, can mitigate gaps in service availability, additional equipment, infrastructure and human resources will be needed to improve quality. Providers also need additional training focused on treating patients from different backgrounds equally. Our study also points to the need for additional research, both to document the quality of care more objectively and to establish key determinants of quality to inform policy.

scholarly journals The relationship between inequitable gender norms and provider attitudes and quality of care in maternal health services in Rwanda: a mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Doyle ◽  
Shamsi Kazimbaya ◽  
Ruti Levtov ◽  
Joya Banerjee ◽  
Myra Betron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Care Provider ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Gender Attitudes ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Men’S Involvement

Abstract Background Rwanda has made great progress in improving reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) care; however, barriers to ensuring timely and full RMNH service utilization persist, including women’s limited decision-making power and poor-quality care. This study sought to better understand whether and how gender and power dynamics between providers and clients affect their perceptions and experiences of quality care during antenatal care, labor and childbirth. Methods This mixed methods study included a self-administered survey with 151 RMNH providers with questions on attitudes about gender roles, RMNH care, provider-client relations, labor and childbirth, which took place between January to February 2018. Two separate factor analyses were conducted on provider responses to create a Gender Attitudes Scale and an RMNH Quality of Care Scale. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in February 2019 with RMNH providers, female and male clients, explored attitudes about gender norms, provision and quality of RMNH care, provider-client interactions and power dynamics, and men’s involvement. Data were analyzed thematically. Results Inequitable gender norms and attitudes – among both RMNH care providers and clients – impact the quality of RMNH care. The qualitative results illustrate how gender norms and attitudes influence the provision of care and provider-client interactions, in addition to the impact of men’s involvement on the quality of care. Complementing this finding, the survey found a relationship between health providers’ gender attitudes and their attitudes towards quality RMNH care: gender equitable attitudes were associated with greater support for respectful, quality RMNH care. Conclusions Our findings suggest that gender attitudes and power dynamics between providers and their clients, and between female clients and their partners, can negatively impact the utilization and provision of quality RMNH care. There is a need for capacity building efforts to challenge health providers’ inequitable gender attitudes and practices and equip them to be aware of gender and power dynamics between themselves and their clients. These efforts can be made alongside community interventions to transform harmful gender norms, including those that increase women’s agency and autonomy over their bodies and their health care, promote uptake of health services, and improve couple power dynamics.

scholarly journals Perceived Support Among Families Deciding About Organ Donation for Their Loved Ones: Donor Vs Nondonor Next Of Kin

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. e52-e61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liva Jacoby ◽  
James Jaccard
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Organ Donation ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Next Of Kin ◽  
Perceived Quality Of Care ◽  
Brain Dead

BackgroundFamilies’ experiences in the hospital influence their decisions about donating organs of brain-dead relatives. Meeting families’ support needs during this traumatic time is an obligation and a challenge for critical care staff.Objectives(1) To elicit family members’ accounts of various types of support received and perceived quality of care for themselves and their loved ones when they made the donation decision, and (2) to examine the relationship between these factors and the families’ donation decision.MethodsRetrospective telephone interviews of 199 families from different regions of the country were completed. Aside from demographic data, the survey addressed perceptions of informational, emotional, and instrumental support and quality of care.ResultsOne hundred fifty-four study participants consented to donation; 45 declined. White next of kin were significantly more likely than African Americans to consent. Specific elements of reported support were significantly associated with consent to donate. Donor and nondonor families had differing perceptions of quality care for themselves and their loved ones. Receiving understandable information about organ donation was the strongest predictor of consent.ConclusionsSpecific supportive behaviors by staff as recounted by family members of potential donors were significantly associated with consent to donation. These behaviors lend themselves to creative training and educational programs for staff. Such interventions are essential not only for next of kin of brain-dead patients, but also for staff and ultimately for the public as a whole.

scholarly journals Client Satisfaction and Experience With Telepsychiatry: Development and Validation of a Survey Using Clinical Quality Domains (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Serhal ◽  
Anne Kirvan ◽  
Marcos Sanches ◽  
Allison Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Clinical Quality ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Development And Validation

BACKGROUND Telepsychiatry is an increasingly used model of mental health care that connects patients with psychiatrists at a distance via videoconference. Telepsychiatry is an effective clinical intervention that improves access to quality care in regions with limited resources or in clinical situations where in-person care is unavailable. OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop a validated survey tool to measure patient experience and satisfaction with telepsychiatry based on the quality of care domains. This study also seeks to understand which health service outcomes were most strongly correlated with overall satisfaction in the context of telepsychiatry. METHODS The survey created in this study was developed and validated with a panel of subject matter and process experts and was piloted with 274 patients who received clinical consultations through the TeleMental Health Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Factor analysis was used to determine correlations between questions and quality of care domains and was also used to assess model fit. RESULTS The study provides a validated survey to measure patient satisfaction and experience with telepsychiatry across 4 domains: access and timeliness, appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety. Both safety and access and timeliness were found to be statistically significant predictors of satisfaction in our sample. CONCLUSIONS By situating patient satisfaction and experience within this framework, the survey facilitates patient data collection and interpretation through a clinical quality lens.

Development and Validation of a Cross-Country Hospital Patient Quality of Care Assessment Tool in Europe

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Villiers-Tuthill ◽  
Karolina Doulougeri ◽  
Hannah McGee ◽  
Anthony Montgomery ◽  
Efharis Panagopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Hospital Patient ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Development And Validation
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