Make no mistake, each and every one of us do our work singularly and together to meet the needs of cancer patients. That being said, it is probably reasonable for us to step back and seek the direct input from patients to be sure we are prioritizing our efforts based on the challenges they face.
We are fortunate to have all of you advising us on the means and ways of improving cancer care through standards, quality measures, data, accreditation, quality improvement, research, and the many other efforts we promote. You all represent a broad and diverse community of professionals who know what it takes to deliver high-quality care and to measure and improve the quality of care. For that we are most grateful. As much as patients, of course, want the best possible care and optimal outcomes, they also may have thoughts about how we might improve the patient experience with cancer care. What if we would improve both the quality of care and the patient experience? Wouldn’t we do that if it were possible?
The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) has started to address these kinds of questions by rewriting their accreditation standards in alignment with the patient journey and as part of the Patient Reported Observations on Medical Procedure Timelines for Breast Cancer (PROMPT) Study. As part of PROMPT, patients will be interviewed about processes, timelines, financial and emotional assistance, and other aspects of their experience with breast cancer care. This is a great start and it begs the question as to whether it is time for us to probe other aspects of all our programs.
For example, we expect that cancer patients value our accredited programs’ administrative commitment to cancer, access to credentialed cancer experts and multidisciplinary services, as well as review boards, teamwork, care standards, and the fact that these programs use data to measure performance and improve outcomes. But isn’t it time we ask our patients what they value? Indeed, the American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs leaders have decided that now is the time to reconnect with the ultimate beneficiary of all our efforts, the patient, and ensure that we are doing all we can to reduce the burden of cancer that they experience. This effort will require something from all of us, so stay tuned as we hope to count on you to help us to hear the voice of the patient.
