Achieving systems change – challenge of the real world — ASN Events
  1. Schedule
  2. Submitted symposia - Developing and implementing cancer policy in Australia
  3. Achieving systems change – challenge of the real world

Achieving systems change – challenge of the real world (#155)

David Currow 1
  1. Cancer Institute NSW, Alexandria, NSW, Australia

Clinicians universally are committed to the highest possible quality of care being offered to their patients. Despite this, there are wide variations in patient outcomes across the health systems internationally that require a system-wide response.

Such systems issues are often not related to resources but to local practices and policy that had not been optimised to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.

Understanding the performance of a health system is complex, but variation in patient outcomes that remain after controlling for key clinico-demographic factors suggest that there are systems-level issues that need to be addressed.

Every part of a responsive health system needs to be measuring its performance, benchmarking with peers and establishing ways to improve performance. This is not an easy task and requires a commitment at the level of government, funders and all service providers including each and every clinician.

In discharging its statutory obligations, the Cancer Institute NSW is working with clinicians to understand variations in outcomes and, through linking this back to processes of care, working to improve systematically the outcomes of people diagnosed with cancer. This work is also finding ways with other states and territories to harmonise data analysis so that there can be a wider pool for benchmarking in this setting.

#COSAASM