Unlocking the Power of Benchmarking: Real-World-Time Data Analysis for Enhanced Sarcoma Patient Outcomes

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Benchmarking is a crucial tool for healthcare providers to improve quality and efficiency, especially for complex conditions like sarcomas. Sarcomas are a type of cancer that require a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. However, despite adherence to international guidelines, differences in the processes used by these boards can affect patient outcomes and treatment costs. This study compared two multidisciplinary teams/sarcoma tumor boards and established an interoperable digital platform, Sarconnector(®), for real-world time (RWT) data assessment and automated analysis. Differences were obtained in various areas, such as first-time presentations, follow-up presentations, primary sarcomas, biopsies and chemotherapy indications. By identifying areas of improvement and making data-driven decisions on the meta-level, healthcare providers can optimize resources and improve patient outcomes. Benchmarking with the RWT harmonized data approach provided by the Sarconnector(®) can help healthcare providers achieve better outcomes for their patients and improve the overall effectiveness of the healthcare system. ABSTRACT: Benchmarking is crucial for healthcare providers to enhance quality and efficiency, notably for complex conditions like sarcomas. Multidisciplinary teams/sarcoma boards (MDT/SBs) are vital in sarcoma management, but differences in their processes can affect patient outcomes and treatment costs, despite adherence to international guidelines. To address this issue, this study aimed to compare two MDT/SBs and establish an interoperable digital platform, Sarconnector(®), for real-time-world data assessment and automated analysis. The study included 983 patients, 46.0% of whom female, with a median age of 58 years, and 4.5% of patients presented with metastasis at diagnosis. Differences were observed in the number of first-time presentations, follow-up presentations, primary sarcomas, biopsies and chemotherapy indications between the two MDT/SB. The results highlight the importance of benchmarking and utilizing a harmonized data approach, such as the RWT approach provided by the Sarconnector(®), to standardize and evaluate quality and cost metrics. By identifying areas of improvement and making data-driven decisions on the meta-level, healthcare providers can optimize resources and improve patient outcomes. In conclusion, benchmarking with the RWT harmonized data approach provided by the Sarconnector(®) can help healthcare providers improve the overall effectiveness of the healthcare system and achieve better outcomes for their patients in terms of both outcomes and costs.