A culture of open reporting results in improved quality of bladder tumour resections: a closed loop audit

Objective:Bladder cancer is the commonest cancer of the urinary tract. Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumour (TURBT) is the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The absence of muscle in a TURBT specimen is associated with a significantly higher risk of residual disease, early recurrence and tumour under staging.Materials and methods:TURBT and bladder biopsy specimens were examined before and after the introduction of an open reporting system as a quality improvement exercise. All specimens from the 4th quarter (between 2010 and 2014) were examined to determine the effect of open reporting on our inadequate resection rates.Results:A total of 244 cases were performed under the care of 5 consultant urologists. Analysis revealed a significant improvement in quality of both T1 and Ta resections (p=0.04*; p=0.02*) after the introduction of open reporting. The total number of TURBT cases increased per year, however the percentage of inadequate resections has signif...