Publication Date
2-1-2024
Journal
Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
DOI
10.1002/lio2.1211
PMID
38362185
PMCID
PMC10866599
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
12-29-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
head and neck cancer, post‐operative radiation, quality improvement, safety‐net hospital
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the rate of post-operative radiation therapy (PORT) initiation within 6 weeks for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated at a safety net, academic institutio between 2019 and 2021 versus those treated in 2022 after implementation of a new clinical pathway.
METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed at a single tertiary care, safety-net, academic institution. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, dates of surgery, and other treatment dates were collected from the electronic medical record. The time from surgery to PORT was calculated. Patients who started radiation treatment within 42 days of surgery were regarded as having started PORT on time. The demographics, tumor characteristics, and rate of timely PORT for the two cohorts of patients were compared.
RESULTS: From 2018 to 2021, our rate of PORT initiation within 6 weeks of surgery was 12% (
CONCLUSION: Early referrals, frequent communication, and use of a secure registry were the key to the success found by our group despite the socioeconomic challenges of our underserved, safety-net hospital patient population. The changes made at our institution should serve as a template for other institutions seeking to improve the quality of care for their HNSCC patients.
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