Synoptic operative reports enhance documentation of best practices for rectal cancer.

Background: Implementation of best practices surgical checklists improves patient safety and outcomes. However, documenting performance of these practices can be challenging. The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons developed a Best Practices for Rectal Cancer Checklist (RCC) to standardize and improve the quality of rectal cancer surgery.

The location of surgical care for rural patients with rectal cancer: patterns of treatment and patient perspectives.

Background: Where cancer patients receive surgical care has implications on policy and planning and on patients' satisfaction and outcomes. We conducted a population- based analysis of where rectal cancer patients undergo surgery and a qualitative analysis of rectal cancer patients' perspectives on location of surgical care.

Methods: We reviewed Manitoba Cancer Registry data on patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosed between 2004 and 2006.

Documentation of quality of care data for colon cancer surgery: comparison of synoptic and dictated operative reports.

Background: Operative reports are a source of clinical data that can, for quality assurance purposes, be used to document the performance of processes that affect the care of surgical patients. We assessed the degree to which synoptic reports document operative quality indicators for colon cancer surgery.

Methods: Two reviewers independently reviewed 80 prospectively collected synoptic colon cancer operative reports and a case-matched historical cohort of 80 dictated reports.