Australia develops national cancer data framework

Over the next two years, Australia will develop a national cancer data framework to improve data accessibility.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT

The Australian government is working with Cancer Council Australia, a not-for-profit organization, to develop the framework. It will set the strategic direction and priorities for the collection, management, use and continued development of comprehensive and consistent health and cancer data.

Several considerations need to be taken into account when developing this framework, including aligning the entire health data ecosystem to enable sharing and linking of data beyond the domain of public health ; clear governance, quality assurance and system-wide agreement between jurisdictions and sector on data sharing; and national agreements on sovereignty, regulation, governance and data sharing between jurisdictions.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT

Cancer services across Australia capture data differently, hindering the creation of nationally linked datasets. Data custodians also often have their respective jurisdictional ethical requirements.

According to Cancer Australia, the country’s leading cancer agency, having a national cancer data framework that integrates and links data from multiple assets or sources “will enable consistency and completeness, and improve the access and sharing, to inform evidence-based practice and improvements in cancer research and care services.

“Improving data collection and availability, specific to priority populations, will strengthen research and drive continued improvement in optimal cancer care and treatment for all Australians. »

THE BIGGER CONTEXT

The development of a national cancer data framework is one of several initiatives outlined in the Federal Government’s Australian Cancer Plan. Developed by Cancer Australia, this monumental plan aims to improve the prevention, detection, treatment and management of all cancers for people from all backgrounds across the country. A key and urgent priority of this plan is to achieve equity and improve outcomes for First Nations people, who are estimated to be 14% more likely to contract cancer and 45% more likely to die from the disease than their counterparts. non-indigenous counterparts.

The Cancer Plan has six strategic objectives, each setting a 10-year ambition and is further supported by two- and five-year objectives, as well as their respective sets of actions.

One of these objectives is to build a “modern and adapted infrastructure for the fight against cancer”, the objectives of which are to develop frameworks for collecting and reporting comprehensive cancer data and to implement new technologies in routine cancer care.

“Reliable and comprehensive” health and cancer data are said to be the foundation of optimal cancer care and a high-performing cancer care system. It is essential to inform the planning, delivery and continuous improvement of cancer care and to identify policy and research priorities across the cancer control continuum.

In building a modern cancer care control infrastructure, the Australian Government will also expand access to digital cancer care by, among other things, investing in new, scalable technologies and emerging techniques and creating policy and support frameworks. governance to develop AI capacity for cancer care. The Government also intends to improve access to virtual care among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

ON THE FILE

“The burden of cancer is increasing, with more than 164,000 Australians diagnosed this year. Although cancer outcomes in this country are generally among the best in the world, this is not the case for some people, simply because of who “They are or where they are. They live,” Minister of Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said in a statement to the media.

“Our Australian Cancer Plan addresses patients’ concerns about the difficulty of navigating the health system and will ensure no one falls through the cracks. Preventing cancer, as well as detecting and treating it earlier, will save countless individuals and families from heartache and pain, and also ease the pressure on our hospitals and our healthcare system as a whole,” he said. he added.