학술논문

Assessing trends in breast care surveillance metrics after implementing surgeon‐specific tracking and performance reporting in a large, integrated cancer network.
Document Type
Article
Source
Cancer (0008543X). Oct2023, Vol. 129 Issue 20, p3230-3238. 9p.
Subject
*SENTINEL lymph nodes
*HORMONE receptor positive breast cancer
*ONCOLOGIC surgery
*MEDICAL referrals
*BREAST imaging
*METRIC system
*WATCHFUL waiting
Language
ISSN
0008-543X
Abstract
Background: There are few quality metrics and benchmarks specific to surgical oncology. Development of a surgeon‐level performance metrics system based on peer comparisons is hypothesized to positively influence surgical decision‐making. This study established a tracking and reporting system comprised of evidence and consensus‐based metrics to assess breast care delivered by individual surgeons. Methods: Surgeons' performance is assessed by a surveillance tracking system of metrics pertaining to referrals and surgical elements. This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected breast care data reports on recurring 6‐month and cumulative data from nine care locations from 2015 to 2021. Results: Breast care was provided to 6659 patients by 41 surgeons. A total of 27 breast care metrics were evaluated over 7 years. Metrics with consistent, proficient results were retired after 18 months, including the rate of core biopsy, specimen orientation, and referrals to medical oncology, genetics, and fertility, among others. In clinically node‐negative, hormone receptor‐positive patients 70 years of age or older, the cumulative rate of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy significantly decreased by 40% over 5.5 years (p <.001). The overall breast conservation rate for T0–T2 cancer increased 10% over 7 years. At the surgeon level, improvements were made in the median number of SLNs removed and in operative note documentation. Conclusions: Implementation of a surgeon‐specific, peer comparison‐based metric and tracking system has yielded substantive changes in breast care management. This process and governance structure can serve as a model for quantification of breast care at other institutions and for other disease sites. This study describes the development of a surgeon‐specific surveillance metric program for breast surgical care. Substantive changes were seen at the individual surgeon level and institutional level during the first 7 years of implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]