title: Systematic review of quality improvement interventions directed at cancer specialists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Summary evidence on the effectiveness of quality improvement interventions (QIIs) directed at cancer specialists is needed for two reasons. First, there are some innovations over which only cancer specialists have control (eg, surgical technique or chemotherapy regimen). Second, implementation of QIIs has opportunity costs; the time and money spent on an ineffective QII might be better spent on direct patient care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical Subject Headings and text words for "quality improvement" were combined with those for "neoplasm" to search MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EMBASE from January 1990 to August 2012 for studies of QIIs directed at cancer specialists (eg, medical/radiation oncologist, surgeon). All study designs were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five thousand seven hundred eighty-one articles were screened, but only 12 met the inclusion criteria, including three cluster randomized controlled trials (cRCTs), seven uncontrolled before-and-after comparisons, and two cross-sectional studies. All 12 studies were conducted in response to concerns about quality of care. No cRCT showed a benefit of the QIIs tested. Some uncontrolled before-and-after and cross-sectional studies reported a benefit from the QII, but these studies are difficult to interpret because of concerns about uncontrolled confounding. Interventions in all studies were multifaceted, but descriptions of different components were limited, and only one study examined their separate impact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The published evidence about how to facilitate timely and consistent adoption of new clinical knowledge by cancer specialists into everyday clinical practice is thin. More investment is needed in research about the solution (QIIs) to match the investment in research about the problem (inconsistent/slow adoption of innovative cancer treatments).
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coory
authors.forename: Victoria M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Kristin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jefford
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Winship
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: Graham G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Giles
mesh_terms: D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000592:standards*; D013038:Specialization