Quality of Breast Cancer Care in Germany: 5-Year Results
Author Information
Author(s): Sara Y Brucker, Claudia Schumacher, Christoph Sohn, Mahdi Rezai, Michael Bamberg, Diethelm Wallwiener
Primary Institution: University of Tübingen
Hypothesis
Can a nationwide voluntary collaborative network improve the quality of breast cancer care in Germany?
Conclusion
The benchmarking system successfully improved the quality of breast cancer care in Germany from 2003 to 2007.
Supporting Evidence
- The number of participating breast centres increased from 59 to 220 over the study period.
- Histologically confirmed breast cancer cases rose from 5,994 to 31,656.
- Quality indicators for breast cancer care showed marked improvements from 2003 to 2007.
Takeaway
This study shows that by working together, hospitals can make breast cancer care better for patients.
Methodology
A prospective interventional multicentre feasibility study using a collaborative network of breast centres for data collection and analysis.
Limitations
The study primarily focused on process quality indicators and may not fully reflect long-term outcomes.
Participant Demographics
Breast cancer centres in Germany and Switzerland participated voluntarily.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95%
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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