Comprehensive Cancer Centre Accreditation: Experience and Achievements of a Head Neck Cancer Unit.

Abstract

Improving the quality and equity of oncology care is a strategic priority in Europe. The Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) Accreditation and Designation Programme provides a unified framework integrating care, research, education, and governance. Its standards emphasise multidisciplinary coordination, digital infrastructures, and patient-centred outcomes. Head and neck cancer remains a major global challenge, with rising incidence and heterogeneous results, highlighting the need for standardised pathways and interoperable data systems. This study describes how a Head and Neck Cancer Unit was redesigned and digitalised to comply with OECI requirements, focusing on elements of the care domain. A structured organisational redesign was undertaken using workflow mapping, a RACI matrix, and Plan-Do-Act-Check cycles. Governance involved clinical leaders, specialised nurses, quality officers, and IT and engineering staff. Guidelines were updated, fast‑track pathways refined, and synoptic forms integrated into the electronic health record using terminologies compatible with OMOP. PROMs and PREMs were deployed through the institutional portal. A modified Delphi survey assessed team consensus. Between January and October 2025, 353 patients were evaluated, 198 through fast‑track referral. Diagnostic and treatment intervals met targets. PROM completion reached 61%. PREMs highlighted strengths in professionalism and multidisciplinary coordination and identified communication and administrative burden as areas for improvement. The Delphi survey showed strong agreement (α = 0.71), particularly for Multidisciplinary participation and nursing collaboration. The redesign, aligned with OECI standards, strengthened governance, digitalisation, and patient‑centred care. The model demonstrates how accreditation can drive sustainable, data‑driven improvement and support integrated cancer networks.