Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Publication Date

5-1-2023

Journal

Gynecologic Oncology

DOI

10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.03.016

PMID

37004303

PMCID

PMC10192022

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

May 2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: A quality improvement initiative (QII) was conducted with five community-based health systems' oncology care centers (sites A-E). The QII aimed to increase referrals, genetic counseling (GC), and germline genetic testing (GT) for patients with ovarian cancer (OC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

METHODS: QII activities occurred at sites over several years, all concluding by December 2020. Medical records of patients with OC and TNBC were reviewed, and rates of referral, GC, and GT of patients diagnosed during the 2 years before the QII were compared to those diagnosed during the QII. Outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-sample t-test, chi-squared/Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression.

RESULTS: For patients with OC, improvement was observed in the rate of referral (from 70% to 79%), GC (from 44% to 61%), GT (from 54% to 62%) and decreased time from diagnosis to GC and GT. For patients with TNBC, increased rates of referral (from 90% to 92%), GC (from 68% to 72%) and GT (81% to 86%) were observed. Effective interventions streamlined GC scheduling and standardized referral processes.

CONCLUSION: A multi-year QII increased patient referral and uptake of recommended genetics services across five unique community-based oncology care settings.

Keywords

Female, Humans, Quality Improvement, Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms, Genetic Testing, Ovarian Neoplasms, Genetic Counseling

Published Open-Access

yes

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