Implementing Clinical and Organisational Guidelines at CCC, CCC-Network, National and Cross National Level

Project brief

This task focuses on strengthening the role of cancer centres by promoting the adoption, adaptation, and monitoring of clinical and organisational guidelines. The initiative addresses unmet needs and fosters collaboration across CCCs at national and cross-national levels.

Objectives (Summary)

• Identify and Address Unmet Needs in guidelines
• Promote Guideline Dissemination & Monitoring
• Increase Knowledge of System Variations
• Support Governance Adaptation

Clinical guidelines are essential for improving quality and reducing inequalities in cancer care and research across the European Union. Despite this, significant disparities still exist both between and within EU countries. Positively, many nations offer strong examples of successful national guideline implementation, demonstrating that progress is possible and impactful.

Our mission is to create a comprehensive framework of “guidelines for guidelines” to be implemented across Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs). We aim to foster strategic partnerships with leading medical societies, maintain a strong focus on patient involvement, and pursue our overarching goal of establishing the foundations for Common European Guidelines covering all major cancer types.

Our Goal – moving towards full alignment:

• Harmonized Common European Guidelines for all major cancer types (target)
• National guidelines implemented in all European countries
• Strengthen collaboration among CCCs across the EU (current stage)

At present we are at stage three – our target is stage one.

Lead

View the teams and institutions involved in this task.

How external partners can help

• Contribute Practical Insights
• Participate in Subgroup Working Sessions
• Provide Input on Indicators
• Co-host & Sponsor Workshops
• Advocate for Local Implementation

Our activities

Weekly Lead-Team Meetings & Bi-Weekly Core-Team Calls - Maintain a tight feedback loop to coordinate progress, assign tasks, and resolve emerging issues. Regular work meetings also include: subgroups (bi-weekly)

Subgroup Working Sessions (Six Thematic Areas) - Convene specialized teams to focus on: (1) Clinical guideline content and gaps, (2) Organizational guideline models, (3) Monitoring indicators & metrics, (4) Contact and collaboration with medical societies (5) Patient & stakeholder outreach, (6) Cross-task collaboration (especially with 8.2.8 on governance).

2025 Mapping of Guideline Use - Survey and document current guideline adoption across Europe, creating a “snapshot” of usage, gaps, and best practices.

Outreach to Medical Societies & Patient Organizations - Engage professional associations and advocacy groups to gather input, build consensus, and ensure guidelines address real-world needs.

Indicator Review & Selection - Analyze potential metrics (e.g., outcome indicators, process indicators, structural indicators, implemention of economic indicators, monitoring and feedback indicators) to standardize evaluation across centres

Online Workshops (June, October, December 2025) - Host virtual sessions with core-team members and invited CCC representatives to share progress, align on draft models, and solicit feedback.

Guideline Inspiration Webinar (January 2026) - This webinar will explore why guidelines matter for patients. Highlight the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology´s (ESGO) approach with its quality indicators and accreditation system. Share the success story of Swedish cardiology guidelines. We will also learn from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) experience and present suggestions for SOPs and KPIs to support effective implementation and follow-up of clinical guidelines.

On-Site Core-Team Meetings - May 22-23, 2025: Gothenburg - focus on initial roadmap & indicator . Framework. September 22-23: Barcelona - Summary of the meetings in Gothenburg and Tromsø, focusing on the team's future work strategies. November 2025 Paris - refine implementation tools & finalize collaborations.

Two on-site core-team meetings are planned for spring 2026 starting with a meeting at Odense University Hospital, Denmark in late January followed by a two-day meeting at IPO Porto, Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Portugal in April.

Model Development for Writing & Implementing Guidelines - Draft a scalable template that CCCs can follow-covering workflow integration, stakeholder responsibilities, and monitoring pathways.

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