Audit of Breast Cancer Pathology Reporting in Australia
Author Information
Author(s): Kricker A, Armstrong B, Smith C, Bilous M, Camaris C, Mayer A, Psarianos T
Primary Institution: NHMRC National Breast Cancer Centre and Cancer Control Information Centre
Hypothesis
To measure the quality of pathology reporting of breast cancer and establish a baseline against which future changes can be measured.
Conclusion
The audit highlighted areas for improvement in breast cancer reporting in Australia, revealing significant variation and incompleteness in reports.
Supporting Evidence
- 93% of women had tumour type and size reported in invasive breast cancer reports.
- Only 28% of reports contained all recommended information.
- 99.6% of cases reported histological type of breast cancer.
Takeaway
The study looked at how well doctors reported breast cancer cases in Australia and found that many reports were missing important information.
Methodology
An audit of item completeness in breast cancer reports from 147 laboratories and 392 pathologists.
Limitations
Infrequency of reporting may have contributed to incompleteness, and there was significant variation across states.
Participant Demographics
Reports were issued by 147 laboratories and 392 pathologists.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI 92–95
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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