Download A Framework for Optimal Cancer Care Pathways in Practice

KEY MESSAGES
Table 1. About Optimal Cancer Care Pathways
Topic
Messages
A nationally
endorsed approach
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways are national guides to the best cancer care
for specific tumour types.
The pathways describe the key stages in a patient’s cancer journey and
expected optimal care at each stage to ensure all people diagnosed with
cancer get the best possible care, regardless of where they live or have
cancer treatment. The pathways also ensure that those providing care
understand how to coordinate patient care between each stage.
To help people with cancer receive the best possible care, Optimal Cancer
Care Pathways have been developed for 15 cancer types. Each jurisdiction
will be adopting Optimal Cancer Care Pathways, based on priorities
identified within their cancer services and systems.
Each pathway maps the key stages in a cancer patient’s journey from
diagnosis to survivorship or end-of-life care and describes the key
principles and expected standards of care at each point.
For each cancer pathway there are three versions:
A detailed clinical pathway for cancer specialists, health professionals
and health service administrators
Quick reference guide for GPs – to familiarise GPs and primary care
providers with the care pathway
Patient ‘what to expect’ guides – to assist patients and people affected
by cancer to understand the care pathway and what to expect at each
stage.
Detailed pathways, quick reference guides and patient guides have been
developed for 15 tumour types:
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acute myeloid leukaemia
breast cancer
colorectal cancer
endometrial cancer
head and neck cancers
hepatocellular carcinoma
high-grade glioma cancer
hodgkins lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
lung cancer
melanoma
non-melanoma skin cancers
oesophagogastric cancer
ovarian cancer
pancreatic cancer
prostate cancer
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Topic
Messages
The development of
Optimal Cancer
Care Pathways
The Optimal Cancer Care Pathways were developed as part of a national
work plan to improve cancer care across Australia, led by the National
Cancer Expert Reference Group (NCERG).
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways were developed to ensure people with
cancer receive the best possible care by describing optimal standards of
care at each stage across tumour streams.
Each pathway was developed by an expert group including clinicians
specialising in treatment of the particular tumour, GPs and consumers, and
in consultation with medical colleges and peak health organisations.
The Optimal Cancer Care Pathways have been endorsed by the National
Cancer Expert Reference Group, Cancer Australia and Cancer Council
Australia.
Purpose and
intended use
The adoption of Optimal Cancer Care Pathways is being supported in all
states and territories to ensure consistent, optimal cancer care across
Australia.
The aim is to improve patient outcomes by facilitating optimal care across
Australia using evidence-based, best practice pathways of care.
Patient treatment regimens will vary, but the principles and expectations of
optimal cancer care are constant.
Service improvement
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways can be used by health services and
professionals as a tool to identify gaps in current cancer services and
inform quality improvement initiatives across all aspects of the care
pathway.
Best practice
The detailed Optimal Cancer Care Pathways are intended for cancer
specialists, health professionals and health service administrators. They
describe the key principles and best practice at critical points in the
continuum of care to ensure optimal patient management.
Collaboration with
patients
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways can be used by clinicians and health
professionals as an information resource to promote discussion and
collaboration with patients and people affected by cancer.
Patient guides
The ‘What to expect’ guides are designed to help patients and people
affected by cancer to understand their pathway through the often complex
health system.
The ‘What to expect’ guides for patients and people affected by cancer map
the pathways for 15 tumour types in an easily understandable format. They
describe the typical stages in a patient’s journey and what to expect at each
stage to help patients make informed decisions and ask questions of their
health professionals to ensure they receive the best care and support they
need.
The ‘What to expect’ guides can prompt patients to ask the right questions
about their care pathway.
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Topic
Messages
Commitment to the
adoption of Optimal
Cancer Care
Pathways
[Organisation/service/jurisdiction] is committed to making sure every cancer
patient in [state/territory/region] gets the best patient-centred care and
experience.
Using the Optimal Cancer Care Pathways will ensure our cancer services
[and/or hospitals/health services, clinicians, health professionals] provide
consistent and optimal treatment and supportive care at each stage of a
patient’s cancer journey.
Pathways describe current best practice and requirements at key points in
the cancer pathway to facilitate a consistent approach and optimal, patientcentred care for all people diagnosed with cancer.
Everyone involved in our cancer services contributes to safe and high
quality patient care and a positive patient experience. They will follow and
refer to the Optimal Cancer Care Pathways to ensure consistency,
coordination and quality of care.
Table 2. Benefits of Optimal Cancer Care Pathways: messages for specific audience
Audience
Messages
Cancer clinicians
and health
professionals
The Optimal Cancer Care Pathways detail key principles and
recommendations for optimal care at critical points in the cancer continuum,
from prevention and identification through to survivorship or end-of-life
care.
The pathways describe current best practice, based on clinical guidelines,
consensus statements, care pathways, standards and evidence to support
optimal care at each stage.
They are not detailed clinical practice guidelines. They are not intended to
provide medical advice or replace clinical judgement.
Pathways can be used to promote multidisciplinary discussion, as well as to
support collaboration and communication with people affected by cancer.
Health service
management and
administrators
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways provide a guide for service improvement.
The pathways align with key service improvement priorities in health,
ensuring patients have access to coordinated and multidisciplinary
treatment and supportive care, and reducing variations in practice.
The Optimal Cancer Care Pathways enable service providers to better plan
and coordinate service delivery, identify the investigations, therapies,
clinical expertise, facilities and support needed at each key point of the
patient journey, and resources required to enable optimal patient care and
support.
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways reflect and describe the best available
standards of care so can be used as educational and/or audit tools to
improve clinical outcomes and patient experience.
Supporting the adoption of Optimal Cancer Care Pathways demonstrates
our commitment to national standards, and quality and safety in cancer
care to support ongoing service improvement and accreditation.
Private sector
The Optimal Cancer Care Pathways apply to all cancer care, provided in
public and private services.
Private cancer care providers can adopt and promote Optimal Cancer Care
Pathways to demonstrate they are committed to best practice and meet
recommended national standards of cancer care.
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Audience
Messages
GPs, primary and
community care
providers, practice
managers
The Optimal Cancer Care Pathway quick reference guides and patient
guides help [GPs, primary care providers] when talking to patients about
their cancer treatment pathway and what to expect at each stage.
Using the guides
Use the quick reference guides to familiarise yourself with the tumourspecific pathway, including recommended care and support at each stage.
You can import the quick reference guides and patient version PDFs into
your GP software.
Recommending
guides to patients
The ‘What to expect’ guides for patients and people affected by cancer map
the pathways for 15 tumour types in an easily understandable format.
Help your patients and their family and carers to understand the cancer
care pathway and get the best possible care. Print the relevant ‘What to
expect’ guide for newly diagnosed cancer patients and/or refer them
to www.cancerpathways.org.au
Best practice
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways reflect and describe national standards of
cancer care. Use of the pathways in primary care demonstrates
commitment to best practice, quality and safety.
Patients and carers
For someone just diagnosed with cancer, the pathway through treatment
can be hard to understand. It usually involves many different health
professionals and services.
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways have been developed to help patients and
people affected by cancer to understand the usual steps during and after
treatment, and what to expect at each stage.
About the patient
portal and guides
To help people with cancer receive the best possible care, Optimal Cancer
Care Pathways have been developed for 15 cancer types. As well as
detailed clinical pathways for doctors and cancer services, there are
versions for patients and guides for GPs.
The cancer pathways website and “What to expect” guides explain the
usual pathways through and after treatment for 15 cancer types. You can
use the guides to understand what care to expect and questions you can
ask your health professionals to make sure you get the best care and
support at each stage.
You can use the interactive pathways website or print an information sheet
for your cancer type at www.cancerpathways.org.au.
Table 3. Monitoring Progress of Optimal Cancer Care Pathways
Audience
Messages
Health service
management,
administrators
Monitoring the adoption of Optimal Cancer Care Pathways enables service
providers to identify where there is variation in cancer care and what is
needed to help services align with the pathways.
Embedding monitoring of progress within existing data capabilities, systems
and daily workflows is likely to be the most effective option for establishing
baseline measures and informing quality improvement activities.
Monitoring the progress of Optimal Cancer Care Pathway adoption will
provide leverage for future service delivery planning and identify the
necessary systems required to support continuous improvement and best
practice cancer care.
Patients and carer
Cancer services can learn a lot from the experiences of patients and people
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Audience
Messages
affected by cancer. Understanding patients’ experiences will inform
improvements to cancer services to ensure that patients and people
affected by cancer receive well-coordinated and supportive care.
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