Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit (BCCA)
The Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit (BCCA) was established through a collaboration between the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ), the Research, Audit & Academic Surgery Division (RAAS) of the College and BioGrid Australia (formerly Bio21:MMIM).
Initially managed by the Morbidity Audits Department of the College, it is now managed under the auspices of CSSANZ by an Operations and Steering Committee made up of relevant stakeholders, including CSSANZ, RACS Colon and Rectal Surgery Section, GSA, NZAGS, and interested clinician and consumers.
Progress
The BCCA has been implemented in many public and private hospital sites around Australia and New Zealand, with a large number of surgeons regularly contributing colorectal cancer data. In 2013, an online data entry system was launched and the old paper-based model was closed.
Patients undergoing resection or treatment for colorectal cancer are recorded by contributors into the online portal that has been built and hosted by Monash University and is based on the software developed by Associate Professor Paul McMurrick and Cabrini Health. Associate Professor McMurrick continues to host an Extended Dataset for surgeons who want to be involved in more comprehensive data collection.
The data collected from the BCCA is used for clinical audit of the surgical practices of Australian and New Zealand colorectal surgeons for the purpose of quality assurance. The large dataset can also be used for research and quality improvement purposes with the aim of advancing knowledge and understanding of the optimum treatment for colorectal cancer, and ensuring best clinical practice.
BCCA Operations Committee
The BCCA Operations Committee directly oversees and monitors the BCCA, along with the Project Manager, and they meet on a monthly basis. These meetings facilitate discussion and progress in all aspects of the project, including establishment issues, funding, management and research. The committee provides strategic direction, consistency and dedication, which have enabled the audit to progress.
Further information & contact
BCCA Annual Reports, governance documents, privacy policy and further information can be obtained by contacting:
Michaela O'Regan
Project Manager - Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit
Suite 6, 9 Church St
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Telephone: +61 3 9853 8013
Fax: +61 3 9889 7359
Email: bcca@cssanz.org