Quality assurance in a multidisciplinary symptomatic breast assessment clinic

Although quality assurance guidelines for surgeons have been issued and adopted for use in population-based breast screening programs in Australia, similar guidelines are unavailable for women referred with symptomatic breast problems.

Six hundred and ninety-six women who attended the Royal Adelaide Hospital Women's Health Centre between February and November 1998 for investigation and management of a new breast-related complaint were prospectively evaluated. Investigation strategies and outcomes of the initial consultation were determined and the results compared with the performance quality standards for symptomatic breast disease according to the British Association of Surgical Oncology (BASO) Breast Surgeons' Group.

A breast lump was the presenting symptom in 45%, while breast pain was present in 26%. Ninety per cent of women referred with breast symptoms were given a definitive benign or malignant diagnosis at the initial clinic visit. Although the median time delay between the date of general practitioner referral and breast clinic appointments for all patients was < or =7 days, the time delay for 'urgent' cases was not met according to BASO performance indicators. All other Royal Adelaide Hospital Breast Clinic audit data were within the range suggested by BASO performance indicators for new consultations in a symptomatic breast assessment clinic.

A multidisciplinary breast clinic in a public hospital setting is able to provide clinical services to symptomatic women, with the majority of patients obtaining a confident diagnosis at the first presentation. Performance indicators for symptomatic breast disease are useful in identifying inadequacies at the clerical or clinical level which, following the implementation of subsequent changes, may lead to improvement in patient outcomes.