Achievement of European standards by CROB-IRCCS

The Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) has recently endorsed a program for the accreditation of Italian cancer institutes. Any cancer center that aims to provide research, education, and care services to cancer patients should undergo an evaluation process in order to become OECI accredited. On a center basis, the task turned out to be challenging, and required commitment and increased workload. The timing is an adjunctive constraint, especially when dealing with bureaucracy. Once undertaken, the accreditation process goes through preparation and completion of the self-evaluation, peer review, report, and final designation. This process constitutes an unrepeatable opportunity for improvement. It is required to implement the necessary changes in order to improve policies, procedures, and employee training. Sharing the highlighted general remarks, strengths, and opportunities provided by the different audit teams (on a cancer center basis) will constitute a significant instrument to enhance cancer care.