As anyone who has been touched with breast cancer knows, the experience of breast cancer is not just about oncology treatment, but about the whole journey from timely diagnosis to post-treatment care, including community-based care.
Data access has been approved for a project which will use administrative data to generate new information on the health care of women diagnosed with breast cancer in BC, and inform strategies to provide quality care throughout the cancer journey. The project is partially funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and will be replicated in multiple provinces across Canada for comparison.
“Timely diagnosis of suspected cancer by your doctor is important, as early detection is highly correlated with eventual patient outcomes,” says project leader, Mary McBride, Clinical Professor at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health. “Cancer patients continue to see their family doctor regularly, even during active treatment, but little is known about their role during the treatment phase, and how to best support their involvement and optimize coordination of care.”
“After treatment, survivors transition back from specialist care to a range of primary care providers, such as family doctors, health clinics, and social workers. Coordination between these providers to optimize care for rehabilitation, surveillance for recurrence and second cancers, and general preventive care, poses a big challenge.”
In addition to the general population, quality of care for four specific vulnerable subpopulations: older adults; those in northern, rural, and remote locations; low income individuals; and immigrants, will be examined.
PopData will link BC Ministry of Health, BC Vital Statistics Agency, BC Cancer Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups System data for the project.
