Synoptic surgical reporting for breast cancer surgery: an innovation in knowledge translation

Temple, Walley J.; Francis, Wesley P.; Tamano, Evangeline; Dabbs, Kelly; Mack, Lloyd A.; Fields, Anthony; Cancer Surgery Alberta,

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.07.037

« Previous Next »The American Journal of Surgery
Volume 199, Issue 6 , Pages 770-775, June 2010

Synoptic surgical reporting for breast cancer surgery: an innovation in knowledge translation

Walley J. Temple, M.D.
- Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331 29th Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N2
- Corresponding author: Tel.: +1-403-521-3737; fax: +1-403-283-1651
Wesley P. Francis, M.D.
- Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331 29th Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N2
Evangeline Tamano, R.N.
- Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331 29th Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N2
- University of Alberta, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Kelly Dabbs, M.D.
- University of Alberta, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Lloyd A. Mack, M.D.
- Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331 29th Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N2
Anthony Fields, M.D.
- University of Alberta, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Cancer Surgery Alberta

Received 8 May 2009; received in revised form 8 July 2009 published online 18 February 2010.

Abstract

Background

Extensive literature identifies that the quality of surgery not only influences morbidity and mortality but also long-term survival and function. This mandates that we develop a system to capture this information on a real-time basis.

Methods

A synoptic surgical template for breast cancer was created; this was digitized and made available to all surgeons in Alberta.

Results

The data reference 1,392 breast cancer procedures. Ninety-one percent of reports were submitted within 1 hour and 97% of reports were submitted within 24 hours. Fifty-two percent of reports were completed within 5 minutes. Information quality with respect to completeness of staging information was present in 89%. Eighty-four percent complied with practice guidelines and 89% of breast surgeons adopted the template. Seventy-five percent of users were moderately or highly satisfied with the system.

Conclusions

The experience with the development and implementation of synoptic surgical reporting has proven to be a successful tool for generating quality surgical data.

Keywords: Alberta WebSMR, Synoptic, Surgical report, Outcomes