This appeared last week:
27 November 2017
New cancer database a key resource for GPs
Cancer Australia’s new searchable database is giving GPs quick access to population data on cancers.
The National Cancer Control Indicators website, launched this month, brings together information on 17 cancers from trusted sources.
Quick fact cards present up-to-date data on prevention, incidence rates, treatment, and five-year relative survival.
“Cancer is a pretty scary word,” says Dr Liz Marles, the director of the Hornsby GP Unit in Sydney and member of Cancer Australia’s Advisory Council. “Getting a cancer diagnosis is probably one of the biggest personal challenges for people.”
By sharing this kind of contextual information with patients, GPs could shape more realistic expectations and guide decision-making, she said.
“We are dealing with a much more informed consumer these days,” Dr Marles said. “People are going on to the internet, they are finding bits of information that they don’t know what to trust, they don’t know how reliable it is.”
GPs have a role as guardians of truth but, until now, authoritative cancer statistics have been scattered across multiple websites, or buried in reports.
“Every day we have conversations with people around prevention, screening and diagnosis and this is going to give us a whole lot better evidence base to have those conversations,” Dr Marles says.
The website aims to provide an inclusive picture of changing trends and impacts of cancer over time, according to Cancer Australia.
…..
NCCI is designed to be updated as new data becomes available. The new resource can be found at: www.ncci.canceraustralia.gov.au.
More here:
More can be found about Cancer Australia here:
“Cancer Australia was established by the Australian Government in 2006 to benefit all Australians affected by cancer, and their families and carers. Cancer Australia aims to reduce the impact of cancer, address disparities and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer by leading and coordinating national, evidence-based interventions across the continuum of care.
Cancer Australia works collaboratively and liaises with a wide range of groups, including those affected by cancer, key stakeholders and service providers with an interest in cancer control. The agency also focuses on populations who experience poorer health outcomes, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people living in rural and remote Australia.
As the lead national cancer control agency, Cancer Australia also makes recommendations to the Australian Government about cancer policy and priorities.
Cancer Australia’s vision
The vision of Cancer Australia is to reduce the impact of cancer and improve the wellbeing of people affected by cancer.
Cancer Australia’s mission
Cancer Australia’s mission is to strengthen and provide advice on the Australian Government’s strategic focus on cancer control and care.”
It is good to see at least one Government initiative that has actually been running for a decade and is still funded.
A useful resource.
David.
This is a great example of good work and good outcomes. I do wonder though if things like MyHR are simply going to cripple this sorts of things or at best dampen down there evolution because to meet the MyHR technology and processes have to be dumbed down
ReplyDeleteI looked for a link to National Cancer Screening Register, couldn't find it.
ReplyDeleteFrom NCSR
It’s important to keep your details up-to-date so the NCSR can remind you when you are due for your Cervical Screening Test.
Sounds like consumers are responsible for providing their own demographics.
Re NCCI, Ben Goldacre has made observations in UK that could be relevant here.
The government could and should simply require all UK research funders to publicly declare all trials they have funded, and whether those trials have published their results, with performance statistics reported, and all individual reported and unreported trials identified. Several funders committed to produce summary statistics on the proportion of trials reported, among those they have funded, at this Committee’s previous inquiry into non-publication of trial results. To my knowledge, four years later, none of these audits have been made publicly available.
I find it amusing (well not exactly amusing) that while the Government slowly and methodically erode citizens rights and gain entry into and control over our every decision, they through crap like personal control, consumer centred, patient control and rights about. This appears simply a load of old ......... they are literally luring through their teeth. In their defence I am not convinced they are pulling all the strings which makes this even more of a concern. We see glimpses of possible corruptions be it financial or planting family or family friends in high paying rolls. I would love ADHA to publish an org chart showing personal relationships.
ReplyDelete9:59AM. As insightful as such a chart would be I doubt that would ever happen. I do agree with you sentiments in the other matter though. I do here there is some imploding going on within the ADHA. An employee supposedly left expressing views of the ADHA working environment. What was told to me did raise some concerns over the organisations ability to manage a national rollout of the MyHR to every citizen unless they chose to opt out.
ReplyDelete10:32 AM. As an ex-employee I can guarantee it will be dismissed as just another disgruntled employee and the source of the cancer will remain. No doubt some sort of witch hunt will take place, a restructure and the cancer will multiply and spread.
ReplyDeleteI would be very surprised if appointments have been made without due process in an open and transparent way. Family or friends cannot be simply appointed by an official of a commonwealth entity such as ADHA. This would be in breech of section 27 of the PGPA Act. The ADHA CEO would be well aware of this and if there are suspicions that appointments are being made with personal relationships being an influencer then that should be called out as the CEO and other officers in the ADHA may find themselves in career limiting positions
ReplyDelete