Outcomes of the "BRCA Quality Improvement Dissemination Program": An initiative to improve patient receipt of cancer genetics services at five health systems.

OBJECTIVE: A quality improvement initiative (QII) was conducted with five community-based health systems' oncology care centers (sites A-E). The QII aimed to increase referrals, genetic counseling (GC), and germline genetic testing (GT) for patients with ovarian cancer (OC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: QII activities occurred at sites over several years, all concluding by December 2020. Medical records of patients with OC and TNBC were reviewed, and rates of referral, GC, and GT of patients diagnosed during the 2 years before the QII were compared to those diagnosed during the QII. Outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-sample t-test, chi-squared/Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression. RESULTS: For patients with OC, improvement was observed in the rate of referral (from 70% to 79%), GC (from 44% to 61%), GT (from 54% to 62%) and decreased time from diagnosis to GC and GT. For patients with TNBC, increased rates of referral (from 90% to 92%), GC (from 68% to 72%) and GT (81% to 86%) were observed. Effective interventions streamlined GC scheduling and standardized referral processes. CONCLUSION: A multi-year QII increased patient referral and uptake of recommended genetics services across five unique community-based oncology care settings.

Creation and Implementation of an Environmental Scan to Assess Cancer Genetics Services at Three Oncology Care Settings.

An environmental scan (ES) is an efficient mixed-methods approach to collect and interpret relevant data for strategic planning and project design. To date, the ES has not been used nor evaluated in the clinical cancer genetics setting. We created and implemented an ES to inform the design of a quality improvement (QI) project to increase the rates of adherence to national guidelines for cancer genetic counseling and genetic testing at three unique oncology care settings (OCS). The ES collected qualitative and quantitative data from reviews of internal processes, past QI efforts, the literature, and each OCS. The ES used a data collection form and semi-structured interviews to aid in data collection. The ES was completed within 6 months, and sufficient data were captured to identify opportunities and threats to the QI project's success, as well as potential barriers to, and facilitators of guideline-based cancer genetics services at each OCS. Previously unreported barriers were identified, including inefficient genetic counseling appointment scheduling processes and the inability to track referrals, genetics appointments, and genetic test results within electronic medical record systems. The ES was a valuable process for QI project planning at three OCS and may be used to evaluate genetics services in other settings.

Variation in postoperative narcotic prescribing after pediatric appendectomy.

BACKGROUND: Overuse of prescription opioids by both pediatric and adult patients has garnered significant attention in recent years. Educational interventions have been shown to decrease prescription opioids post-operatively in the adult population; similar data have not previously been reported in pediatrics. METHODS: Educational interventions included staff education, institution of opioid standardization protocol, and distribution of educational materials to families. Chart review was performed pre- and post-intervention to compare prescribing practices following appendectomy in patients less than 19 years of age. Follow-up phone calls were used to assess patient satisfaction and pain control. RESULTS: Three hundred thirteen cases were identified pre-intervention [PRE] and compared to 119 cases postintervention [POST]. 84.3% of patients were given a prescription for opioids at time of discharge in the PRE cohort compared to 6.7% (p < 0.001) POST. There was a significant increase in non-opioid analgesia (p < 0.001) POST. There was no significant variability in opioid usage by type of surgery performed, attending provider, or patients' gender or age. Of the patients in the POST cohort, 60.5% were available for telephone follow-up. More than 80% of patients were given acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen POST and 94.4% reported adequate pain control; 88.9% reported that they would agree to avoid opioids again in the future. On follow-up survey, there was no increase in emergency department visits or phone calls for poorly controlled pain following the intervention. CONCLUSION: Low-fidelity educational interventions and creation of a standardized pathway is an effective tool to reduce opioid prescribing and promote alternative means of analgesia without an increase in readmissions or presentation for pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.