An Evidence-Based Approach to Develop and Maintain an Oncology Service Quality Dashboard

Purpose:
This paper describes the process that an academic institution's oncology services used to revise and maintain a Quality dashboard to best effect nursing-sensitive outcomes.

Background/Significance:
Identifying oncology indicators with valid benchmarks is essential to evaluate quality of care and provides direction for patient focused program management and growth. The oncology nurse can effect best patient outcomes by using current “best” data to provide care. Oncology services includes but is not limited to adult and pediatric inpatient and outpatient hematology oncology services (practices, infusion services, radiation oncology, apheresis, inpatient units (including BMT).

Methods:
Indicators and benchmarks were selected based on requirements and level of evidence available (core measures, international and national data repositories, voluntary survey data, best practices among centers, organizational and service data, clinical trial results and critique of relevant literature). The nursing interdisciplinary structure standard is used as a baseline for quality care.

Results:
More than twenty indicators with relevant benchmarks were identified. Broad based indicators such as access to care (turn-around-time) and specific (pain management) were reviewed and selection was based on five categories: 1.level of priority (clinical/quality relevance), 2) benchmarks available, 3) relationship between process and nursing sensitive patient outcomes, 4) measurable with numerator and denominator, and 5) ease of data collection. A quality dashboard was developed to measure the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of patient care and to continuously identify opportunities for improvement.

Conclusions and Implications for Practice:
The dashboard is reviewed and action plans to improve nursing sensitive patient outcomes are implemented. Identifying quality indicators with meaningful outcomes and benchmarks is essential to determine quality of care and provides direction for program management and growth.