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Abstract
Communities of practice (cops) have been shown to be effective models for achieving quality outcomes in health care. Here, we describe the application of the cop model to the Canadian oncology context. We established an oncology cop at our urban community hospital and its networks. Goals were to decrease barriers to access, foster collaboration, and improve knowledge of guidelines in cancer care. We hosted 6 in-person multidisciplinary meetings, focusing on screening, diagnosis, and management of common solid tumours. Health care providers affiliated with our hospital were invited to attend and to complete post-meeting surveys. Likert scales assessed whether cop goals were realized. Meetings attracted a mean of 57 attendees (range: 48-65 attendees), with a mean of 84% completing the surveys and consenting to the analysis. Attendees included family physicians (mean: 41%), specialist physicians (mean: 24%), nurses (mean: 10%), and allied health care providers (mean: 22%). Repeat attendance increased during the series, with 85% of attendees at the final meeting having attended 1 or more prior meetings. Across the series, most participants agreed or strongly agreed that the cop reduced barriers (mean: 76.0% ± 7.9%) and improved access to cancer care services (mean: 82.4% ± 8.1%) and subject matter experts (mean: 91.7% ± 4.2%); fostered teamwork (mean: 84.5% ± 6.8%) and a culture of collaboration (mean: 94.8% ± 4.2%); improved knowledge of cancer care services (mean: 93.3% ± 4.8%), standards of practice (mean: 92.3% ± 3.1%), and quality indicators (mean: 77.5% ± 6.3%); and improved cancer-related practice (mean: 88.8% ± 4.6%) and satisfaction in caring for cancer patients (mean: 82.9% ± 6.8%). Participant feedback carried a potential for bias. We demonstrated the feasibility of oncology cops and found that participants perceived their value in reducing barriers to access, fostering collaboration, and improving knowledge of guidelines in cancer care.
Highlights
Practitioners in cancer care face numerous challenges today
We demonstrated the feasibility of oncology cops and found that participants perceived their value in reducing barriers to access, fostering collaboration, and improving knowledge of guidelines in cancer care
The cop model has been applied in business, government, and education communities, and has been shown to be an effective model for achieving quality outcomes in health care[3,4]
Summary
Practitioners in cancer care face numerous challenges today. Patient volumes are increasing, demographics are shifting to older and more medically complex patients, and financial and administrative barriers are increasing[1]. Treating cancer patients increasingly requires a multidisciplinary approach to management. One strategy that has been successfully used to collaboratively improve outcomes is the establishment of communities of practice (cops). The cop model has been applied in business, government, and education communities, and has been shown to be an effective model for achieving quality outcomes in health care[3,4]. Outcomes that are important to cancer care have been achieved with the use of a cop. The model has been applied successfully in the Canadian oncology and surgical oncology contexts, where it has been shown to improve quality outcomes in cancer care, including compliance with provincial evidence-based clinical guidelines[10,11,12]. Communities of practice (cops) have been shown to be effective models for achieving quality outcomes in health care
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