Importance of social ties in dissemination of Commission on Cancer's synoptic operative report

In 2020, the Commission on Cancer (CoC) launched templated synoptic element documentation in operative reports (SORs) as an accreditation standard to standardize and document surgical techniques for key portions of cancer operations. The study team identified multi-level factors influencing implementation of CoC's breast cancer SORs, including variations in surgeons' knowledge about the new SOR standard. One identified facilitator of SOR dissemination was social ties. To better understand mechanisms underlying social ties in disseminating breast SORs, we performed secondary analysis of key informant interviews in this study.

Social ties were identified by characterizing the surgeon's relationship to that program's Cancer Liaison Physician (CLP) or surgeon belonging to a CoC affiliate organization (e.g., Cancer Research Program). The CLP serving as each program's designated physician quality leader was also the central actor receiving information directly from the CoC. We found that both the CLP's direct ties to the CoC, and indirect ties (e.g., personal ties to someone with direct ties to the CoC), facilitated early dissemination of information about SORs. Leveraging interorganizational ties and providing guidance to CLPs about how and when to communicate with providers about new standards may facilitate dissemination.