Background
The objective of this report is to support the high-quality delivery of provincial and territorial breast cancer screening across Canada. Data for this report was collected from provincial and territorial breast cancer screening programs. Indicators were standardized to allow for comparison across jurisdictions.
Altogether, 10 provinces and one territory submitted data for all or some of the six indicators: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Northwest Territories. The completeness of the data submission varied by jurisdiction.
Refresh of the breast cancer screening quality indicators
In 2020-21, the breast cancer screening quality indicators were refreshed by a working group comprised of members of the Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Network (CBCSN), breast cancer screening program leads, and data experts. Patient and family advisors were also engaged throughout the process to ensure consideration of the lived experience. The purpose of the indicator refresh was to revise and streamline breast cancer screening quality indicators to inform future quality improvement, understand barriers to accessing screening services, and increase the consistency of data collection.
A list of 10 indicators was created, which was subsequently divided into two categories: six system-level core indicators and four optional indicators. The core indicators allow for standardized comparison across jurisdictions. The optional indicators, which are a smaller non-standard set of indicators, will be developed and collected at a later date. The optional indicators can contribute to understanding program progress, although they may not allow for direct comparisons across jurisdictions.
This report provides information on the six core indicators, which reflect priority areas identified by the Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Network (CBCSN). We acknowledge that additional data stratifications for the core indicators were provided by some jurisdictions; however, due to an insufficient number of comparators, the additional data is not presented in this report at this time.
Acknowledgements
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following groups and individuals in the production of this report: the Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Network, members of the Breast Cancer Screening Quality Indicators Working Group, patient and family advisors, and staff from the provincial and territorial cancer programs and agencies.
Suggested citation
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Monitoring and Evaluation of Breast Cancer Screening Quality Indicators. Toronto: Canadian Partnership Against Cancer; 2024
For more information about this report, please contact screening@partnershipagainstcancer.ca.
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