Comprehensive cancer care in the Nordic countries: Strengths, opportunities and improvement profiles

Abstract

Background Accreditation of cancer centres aims to deliver high-quality, person-centered care and underscores the integration with education, research, and innovation. Over the past decade, cancer centres in the Nordic countries have engaged in accreditation processes through the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). Objective This study provides an overview of a rapidly evolving landscape, highlighting strengths, revealing opportunities and defining areas for improvement. Methods All cancer centres in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden that had completed accreditation by the OECI were eligible for the study. Strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement were identified through systematic analysis of accreditation applications, evaluation reports, and improvement plans. Results Ten cancer centres that had completed the OECI accreditation process were included. Accreditation reports showed 79–95% affirmative scores across standards. High levels of maturity were observed for standards within prevention and early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and education and training. In contrast, gaps were identified in governance, quality systems, multidisciplinarity, patient partnership, and research. Areas for improvement were centre-specific, though recurrent actions related to access to quality dashboards, patient involvement, patient pathways, clinical trials and systematic evaluation of research performance. Conclusion Accredited cancer centres have become an increasingly important component of cancer control efforts in the Nordic countries. The quality benchmarks and improvement points identified serve as a foundation for collaborative development of cancer centres services and infrastructures.