The development of a standardized software platform to support provincial population-based cancer outcomes units for...

Understanding the impact of treatment policies on patient outcomes is essential in improving all aspects of patient care. The BC Cancer Agency is a provincial program that provides cancer care on a population basis for 4.5 million residents. The Lung and Head & Neck Tumour Groups planned to create a generic yet comprehensive software infrastructure that could be used by all Tumour Groups: the Outcomes and Surveillance Integration System (OaSIS). The primary goal was the development of an integrated database that will amalgamate existing provincial data warehouses of varying datasets and provide the infrastructure to support additional routes of data entry, including clinicians from multiple-disciplines, quality of life and survivorship data from patients, and three dimensional dosimetric information archived from the radiotherapy planning and delivery systems. The primary goal is to be able to capture any data point related to patient characteristics, disease factors, treatment details and survivorship, from the point of diagnosis onwards. Through existing and novel data-mining techniques, OaSIS will support unique population based research activities by promoting collaborative interactions between the research centre, clinical activities at the cancer treatment centres and other institutions. This will also facilitate initiatives to improve patient outcomes, decision support in achieving operational efficiencies and an environment that supports knowledge generation.