Impact of an intervention on waiting times in the surgical pathway of women with breast cancer: a quasi-experimental study

Aim This paper aimed to create a novel and effective surgical pathway and a strategy for breast cancer patients in the Gynecology Department at the University Hospital of Sousse, Tunisia, to decrease unnecessary variation in practice, to assure timely care, and to reduce the waiting times for surgery previously found.Subject With the increase in breast cancer incidence and the growing complexity of surgical treatments, ensuring that all patients have access to the appropriate treatment within an appropriate time has become a priority for many countries.Methods It was an interventional quasi-experimental study based on assessing professional practices using the process approach method. The study focused on the surgical pathway of women with breast cancer followed and scheduled for surgical treatment.Results The sample included 80 women. A total of eight waiting times were calculated. The global time to first treatment (surgical treatment) was 44.5 [30.25-58] days. After the intervention, this waiting time significantly improved, with (p-value < 0.05). The global time of access to surgery was 28 days with an IIQ of [15-34.75], and a significant improvement with the new surgical pathway (p-value < 0.05).Conclusion Delays in access to care are a potential marker of inequalities in access to care and an indicator of the health care system's performance. They can influence patients' prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment. The pathway and strategy advanced in the present paper will be used as a model to be applied in other cancer centers to reduce delays.