Improving Quality of Radiation Therapy Care Across Ontario using a Community-of-Practice Approach |
| |
Authors: | Rachel Glicksman Michelle Ang Elizabeth Murray Carina Simniceanu Elizabeth Lockhart Julie Gilbert Eric Gutierrez Padraig Warde |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;2. Radiation Treatment Program, Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario, Canada;3. Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;4. Enhanced Program Evaluation Unit, Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario, Canada;5. Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| |
Abstract: | PurposeIn 2003 and 2004, Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) divested its assets and staff to regional hospitals, leading to decreased contact between radiation therapy departments across Ontario's Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs). The Radiation Treatment Program (RTP) at CCO developed a communities-of-practice (CoPs) program to rebuild the provincial radiation therapy community to facilitate collaboration among centers, with the goals of decreasing variation in practice and improving the quality of patient care. RTP's CoPs are led and driven by volunteer frontline health care practitioners who identify and prioritize key quality issues and select corresponding projects to pursue.Methods and MaterialsAn evaluation of RTP's CoPs was conducted to assess whether they were successful in knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and exchange, and community building. The framework was developed based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CoP evaluation framework and tools. Data were collected using prospectively administered member surveys (257 surveys), publications, and semistructured interviews (18 participants).ResultsA total of 95% of participants reported that CoP projects were very relevant to their practice, and 50% reported changes in their practice stemming from CoP involvement. In addition, 90% of participants reported growth of their professional network as a result of CoPs. Overall, 93% of participants and 100% of interviewees reported that CoPs are a worthwhile initiative. The largest challenge of CoPs was the time commitment required to participate.ConclusionsThis approach of member-driven CoPs should be explored and modeled in other health care settings as a means to develop and share knowledge to reduce variation in care and improve the quality of radiation therapy care. |
| |
Keywords: | Corresponding author Postgraduate Medical Education University of Toronto 500 University Ave Suite 602 Toronto Ontario Canada M5G 1V7 |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|