Increasing physicians' and nurses' compliance with treatment guidelines in cancer care program

Three community hospitals in Toledo, Ohio, formed a consortium with the common goal of improving the quality of cancer care in the community. Procedural guidelines were established for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals to use in the diagnosis and treatment of 19 types of cancer. In this paper, the authors report the effect of the use of the guidelines on the care of patients with breast, colon, and non-small-cell lung cancers. Audits of patient records revealed an increase over time in the percentage of recommended cancer care procedures that were complied with. Factors that may have contributed to this success included the hospitals' commitments to the program at the professional and administrative levels, the ready availability of the guidelines during the treatment process, and a mandatory component requiring documented classification of the stage of the cancer.