Breast cancer: how the Boom project measures value to improve the care pathway
Plans are in place to develop a multidimensional dashboard capable of integrating clinical outcomes, organisational aspects, resources and patients’ experiences
Key points
When discussing the quality of cancer care, the first indicators that spring to mind are inevitably the clinical ones: response to treatment, survival rates and the safety of care. But to truly understand the value of a care pathway, we must also look beyond these. Organisation, a multidisciplinary approach, continuity of care and the ability to respond to patients’ needs are equally important aspects.
It is from this vision that BOOM – Breast Outputs and Outcomes Monitoring – was conceived, a project aimed at developing a multidimensional system for measuring and monitoring the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway for breast cancer.
The project owes its clinical substance above all to the experience gained at the IRCCS National Cancer Institute “Fondazione G. Pascale” in Naples, through the work of the team led by Prof. Michelino De Laurentiis, together with Dr Roberta Caputo, who have been committed for years to the treatment of breast cancer and, in particular, to the care of patients with metastatic disease. Joining them is the VIMASS LAB at Parthenope University in Naples, working together to transform clinical experience into new tools for measuring and improving care pathways.
A care pathway designed for patients with metastatic disease
At the Pascale Hospital, the focus on patients with metastatic cancer has led to the development of a specific care pathway, through a Multidisciplinary Oncology Group (GOM) dedicated to metastatic disease, which, according to the clinical team, represents a unique initiative within the Italian healthcare system.
A decision born of a practical need. There are many patients with metastatic breast cancer, and they may live with the disease for a long time. Their journey cannot therefore be viewed solely in terms of a single course of treatment, but requires continuity, a multidisciplinary approach and a constant ability to adapt care to the needs that arise over time.
