Abstract
Background. One of the objectives of certification of organ cancer centers is the continuous improvement of the quality of care. This is achieved through the fulfillment and further development of the certification requirements, comparison of own performance data with those of the other centers and mutual learning. To date, performance data have been documented as an aggregate at the center ...
Abstract
Background. One of the objectives of certification of organ cancer centers is the continuous improvement of the quality of care. This is achieved through the fulfillment and further development of the certification requirements, comparison of own performance data with those of the other centers and mutual learning. To date, performance data have been documented as an aggregate at the center level. Aim. Currently, the OncoBox Research is being developed to enable analyses that take into account the different distribution of patient characteristics (case mix) between the centers. This article provides a brief overview of the current state of health services research and documentation in certified centers, shows examples of the limitations of previous evaluations and outlines the potentials of OncoBox Research. Material and methods. The OncoBox Research is a further development of the OncoBox, which is already used by breast, colorectal and prostate cancer centers in order to make the data between the centers comparable and to allow the centers quality assurance during data collection. The OncoBox Research is intended to allow the use of these data for research purposes. Key fields of application are case mix adjusted center comparisons and the investigation of specific research questions. For example, such specific questions on key figures can consider how strong guideline adherence between patient groups and centers varies and based on which features. Results and discussion. The OncoBox Research is currently under development. The potential consists of the combination of a technical data analysis with a social, research cooperative innovation. Its success is essentially dependent on the interest of the contributing centers.