Ontario’s successes in pathology reporting have potential to improve practice across Canada

As is your pathology, so is your medicine.

So said Dr. William Osler, a Canadian physician and one of the founding fathers of modern medicine. He was referring to the critical role that pathology – the study of tissue samples to diagnose disease – plays in diagnosing cancer and identifying treatment options.

Almost 100 years later, we’ve made tremendous progress in diagnosing and treating cancer, and there continue to be opportunities to improve. A recent article in the Journal of Oncology Practice has showcased the advancement of pathology reporting in Ontario. Initiated in 2008, Cancer Care Ontario’s Pathology Reporting Project uses structured electronic checklists to make the reporting of diagnostic findings by pathologists more complete. This has resulted in the vast majority of Ontario hospitals implementing electronic tools to report cancer diagnosis, standardized reporting and more complete pathology reports. This leads to more effective care planning and better outcomes for patients. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Srigley J, et al. Closing the quality loop: facilitating improvement in oncology practice through timely access to clinical performance indicators. J Oncol Pract. 2013 Sep 1;9(5):e255-61. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2012.000818. Epub 2013 Jul 2. PubMed PMID: 23943888.