Throughout the year, editorial staff and board members at Journal of Clinical Pathways (JCP) collaborate with countless oncologists and cancer care professionals in the field.
Through their relationships with these professionals and their work on the journal, the JCP editors and board get a front row view of the exciting progress happening in this space—progress among teams that are well-established in the pathways space as well as those who are blazing new trails. With all of the amazing work that is being done, the JCP team wanted to find a way to recognize professionals who have demonstrated significant clinical improvements in care and the patient experience through their pathways.
With input from the JCP editorial advisory board, the Excellence in Pathways Award was established to honor individuals or groups in the clinical pathways field who have developed innovative pathways programs that not only achieve measurably better care outcomes but also encourage person-centered care with supports beyond clinical treatment. Award winners are announced at the Oncology Clinical Pathways Congress (OCPC), JCP’s annual meeting: bit.ly/OCPC2020.
The 2020 Award Recipients
This year, the award was presented to Elizabeth Reed, MD, Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology & Hematology, and Robin Lally, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN, College of Nursing, leaders of The Pathway to Cure Project Team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (FPBCC).
Pathway to Cure is a multimodal eHealth platform for oncology care providers and patients developed by a multidisciplinary team at FPBCC in collaboration with two rural cancer centers. FPBCC, located in Omaha, is Nebraska’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Original collaborating cancer centers include Great Plains Health Callahan Cancer Center in North Platte, Faith Regional Carson Cancer Center, Norfolk, and CHI Health Regional Cancer Center in Grand Island, NE. Nationally recognized gaps in the care of young women with breast cancer make it more challenging for oncology clinicians in the rural United States to maintain competency in the management of these patients. The Pathway to Cure project was initiated in 2018 in response to these unique care needs.
The aim was to develop clinical pathways and associated education, as well as to increase clinical collaboration across the state to promote adherence to national evidence-based clinical guidelines for the care of young women with breast cancer. The 18-month project resulted in development of six clinical pathways and the Pathway to Cure website
(pathwaytocure.org), which provides easy access to the pathways with links to associated national guidelines and nine continuing education accredited, expert-delivered webinars providing instruction on care specifically pertinent to younger breast cancer patients. Pathways evaluation planned at 6- and 12-months post-implementation will determine whether the pathways are meeting providers’ and patients’ needs and what modifications are needed to increase pathway use, function, and guideline adherent practice.
The purpose of this project was to improve the efficacy and efficiency with which oncology care providers recognize and systematically address physical, psychosocial, and decision-making needs of young breast cancer patients in rural Nebraska and to support NCCN Guideline adherence, while also minimizing burden to patients and medical systems.
Read about the development and implementation of this project in the JCP September issue: bit.ly/2I5LO8D.
