Impact of an integrated care program for patients with head and neck cancer on the quality of care

Background. The management of patients with head and neck cancer is complex, and implementation of an integrated care program might improve the quality of care. Methods. A prospective before–after study was performed in 1 clinic for head and neck oncology on 311 adults with head and neck cancer to e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Head & neck 2009-07, Vol.31 (7), p.902-910
Main Authors: Ouwens, Mariëlle M. M. T. J., Hermens, Rosella R. P. M. G., Hulscher, Marlies M. E. J. L., Merkx, Matthias A. W., van den Hoogen, Frank J. A., Grol, Richard P., Wollersheim, Hub C. H., Marres, Henri A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Cohort Studies
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated - organization & administration
disease management
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms - therapy
health services research
Humans
indicators
Male
Medical sciences
neoplasms
Otorhinolaryngology (head neck, general aspects and miscellaneous)
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Patient Satisfaction
Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration
Process Assessment (Health Care)
Program Evaluation
Quality Assurance, Health Care
quality improvement
Quality of Life
Retrospective Studies
Treatment Outcome
Tumors
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Summary:Background. The management of patients with head and neck cancer is complex, and implementation of an integrated care program might improve the quality of care. Methods. A prospective before–after study was performed in 1 clinic for head and neck oncology on 311 adults with head and neck cancer to evaluate an integrated care program. Results. Scores on the integrated care indicators showed that the implementation of the integrated care program led to relevant improvements, eg, waiting time for diagnostic procedures less than 10 days (improvement of 37%), support for stopping smoking (+37%), nutrition support (+44%), assessment of CT and MRI scans by a an expert radiologist (+23%), and number of patients in contact with the specialist nurses (+37%). The program had no relevant effects on the outcome indicators. Conclusion. An integrated care program can improve several aspects of the management of patients with head and neck cancer. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009
ISSN:1043-3074
1097-0347
DOI:10.1002/hed.21041