Development and implementation of a population-based breast cancer quality index in Queensland, Australia.

Background: While quality indicators (QI) are relatively commonplace, QIs focusing on breast cancer treatment and outcomes have not been previously developed in Australia. We describe the development and implementation of the Queensland Breast Cancer Quality Index (BCQI) and report on trends in performance indicators over time.

Methods: Development of the BCQI was overseen by a clinician-led quality assurance committee covering several clinical disciplines.

Late mortality from other diseases following childhood cancer in Australia and the impact of intensity of treatment.

Background: People who receive treatment for cancer during childhood often experience subsequent complications of therapy, known as late effects, which can lead to an increased risk of death.

Procedure: Using deidentified population-based data from the Australian Childhood Cancer Registry for children aged 0-14 diagnosed with cancer during the period 1983-2011 and who survived for a minimum of 5 years, we examined disease-related deaths (other than cancer recurrence or second primary cancers) that occurred up to 31 December 2016. Risk of death relative to the general population was approximated using standardised mortality ratios (SMRs).

Breast-cancer mortality in screened versus unscreened women: Long-term results from a population-based study in Queensland, Australia.

Objective: In the context of a mature mammographic screening programme, the aim of this population-based study was to estimate rates of breast-cancer mortality among participants versus non-participants in Queensland, Australia.

Methods: The Queensland Electoral Roll was used to identify women aged 50-65  in the year 2000 (n = 269,198). Women with a prior history of invasive or in situ breast cancer were excluded (n = 6,848).

Nonbreast cancer incidence, treatment received and outcomes: Are there differences in breast screening attendees versus nonattendees?

While reductions in breast cancer mortality have been evident since the introduction of population-based breast screening in women aged 50-74 years, participation in cancer screening programs can be influenced by several factors, including health system and those related to the individual. In our study, we compared cancer incidence and mortality for several cancer types other than breast cancer, noncancer mortality and patterns of treatment amongst women who did and did not participate in mammography screening. All women aged 50-65 years enrolled on the Queensland Electoral Roll in 2000 were included.

Patterns of care for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast: Queensland's experience over a decade.

Objectives: To review management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast in Queensland, with reference to breast conserving surgery (BCS) and adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). In addition, we examined the incidence of invasive breast cancer recurrence and factors predictive of invasive recurrence.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of the Queensland Oncology Repository identified women with resected DCIS (TisN0) ± adjuvant RT between 2003 and 2012.

"I wish they could be in my shoes": patients' insights into tertiary health care for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Insightful accounts of patient experience within a health care system can be valuable for facilitating improvements in service delivery.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore patients' perceptions and experiences regarding a tertiary hospital Diabetes and Endocrinology outpatient service for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Method: Nine patients participated in discovery interviews with an independent trained facilitator.

Methods for investigating decision making in health care network meetings.

Objective: To demonstrate a method of describing and analysing the interactions between people engaged in decision making in health care network meetings.

Method: Analysis of the meeting interaction involved three steps: recording the meeting, annotating the verbal interactions of the meeting, and calculating various metrics from the annotations. Each annotation represented one utterance by one person.

Towards automated observational analysis of leadership in clinical networks.

Clinical networks are being increasingly employed to drive innovation in health services by encouraging multi-disciplinary clinical engagement in management processes. The effectiveness of a network, however, depends critically on the ability of its leader to coordinate group interactions. This paper discusses leadership of clinical networks, and in this context reviews technologies for analyzing the way team members interact in group conversations.

Multisite, quality-improvement collaboration to optimise cardiac care in Queensland public hospitals.

Objective: To evaluate changes in quality of in-hospital care of patients with either acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or congestive heart failure (CHF) admitted to hospitals participating in a multisite quality improvement collaboration.

Design: Before-and-after study of changes in quality indicators measured on representative patient samples between June 2001 and January 2003.

Setting: Nine public hospitals in Queensland.

Utilisation of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation in Queensland.

Objectives: To determine patient participation rates in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR) programs; ascertain the barriers to participation; and evaluate the quality of OCR programs.

Design And Setting: Retrospective cohort study of patient separations from selected public and private Queensland hospitals; questionnaire survey of hospitals and all registered OCR programs.

Participants: Patients discharged with cardiac diagnoses between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2000 from 31 hospitals (24 public; 7 private).