Impact of adherence to board-certified surgeon systems and clinical practice guidelines on colon cancer surgical outcomes in Japan: A questionnaire survey of the National Clinical Database

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of the institutional medical structure and of the implemented clinical practice guidelines for improving colon cancer surgical outcomes. Methods: We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey among departments registered at the National Clinical Database in Japan from October 2014 to January 2015 to assess the association between quality indicators (QIs), including structure and process indicators (clinical practice guideline adherence), and the risk-adjusted odds ratio for operative mortality (AOR) after right hemicolectomy for colorectal cancer during the study period. Results: Among the 2064 departments registering at least one colorectal surgery during the study period, we obtained responses from 814 departments (39.4%). Our analysis on data from 22 816 patients with right hemicolectomy demonstrated that three structural QIs (certification of training hospitals by the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery and the presences of board-certified gastroenterological and colorectal surgeons) were associated with significantly lower AOR (P