National Cancer Clinical Trials Pilot Breakthrough Collaborative
News
Following a competitive review process, six sites have been selected to participate in the National Cancer Clinical Trials Pilot Breakthrough Collaborative!
Program Overview
In the fall of 2010, ENACCT commenced the first ever Breakthrough Collaborative (a proven Quality Improvement framework) which will generate the evidence and practical steps needed to significantly speed cancer clinical trial accrual, increase participation among ethnic and racial minorities, and provide important lessons for other types of clinical research implemented at the community level.
The cancer trial participation rate in the U.S. is under 3 percent and even lower among racial and ethnic minorities, older adults and other medically underserved groups, who tend to have higher cancer mortality rates than the population as a whole. The impact of low participation rates ultimately means access to potentially beneficial medicines is delayed. Very little is known or shared about best practices in recruitment, accrual and retention. Community based oncology practices treat 85% of cancer patients so changes must support the internal and external process and procedures of these practices to help integrate cancer treatment clinical trials as part of quality cancer care.
Practice
During 2010, a national Expert Panel developed a core set of practices to address barriers to access, accrual and retention in clinical trials. Using this core set of practices, in 2011, six community based oncology practices will be selected to participate in this pilot program. Each practice will implement strategies at a local level using a proven quality improvement methodology based on the framework of the Institute for Health Improvement’s (IHI) Breakthrough Series (BTS) Collaborative.
Goals
Over the course of the pilot program, ENACCT is confident that realistic changes to internal and external systems at each practice will lead to:
- Improvement in the referral process to oncologists and institutions participating in clinical trials;
- Providing positive messages to the community about clinical trials as a viable treatment option for cancer treatment;
- Standardizing internal systems and procedures for culturally sensitive recruitment, discussion and consent;
- Sufficiently and systematically addressing common barriers to accrual for ethnic and racial minority groups, including the consent process, transportation, language and other cultural barriers; and
- Helping to ensure an ethical, high-quality patient-centered experience throughout the cancer care continuum.
Selected Sites
Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Bayhealth Medical Center, Dover, DE
Georgia Health Sciences University MB-CCOP, Augusta, GA
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Albany, GA
Queens Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
West Clinic, Memphis, TN
Learn More
Read more in ENACCTion, ENACCT's newsletter
A Fresh Perspective on Accrual
from ENACCT's Australian Fellow, Katrina Campion, BA RN DipAppSoc MA ACF
Learn more about IHI's Collaborative Model for Achieving Breakthrough Improvement
Please check back frequently for program updates and to learn how you can get your community oncology practice involved in this exciting new initiative!