OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop measures to evaluate the quality of care in head and neck cancer, for which no specific measures are currently used in Spain or in international quality-of-care evaluation programs.

METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify measures for evaluating quality of care in head and neck cancer. A scientific committee, comprising 9 medical oncologists specialized in head and neck cancer, reviewed the literature findings and defined criteria. Fifty measures were evaluated with a 2-step Delphi method to gather feedback from 52 experts in head and neck cancer in Spain, specialized in medical oncology, radiotherapy oncology, maxillofacial surgery, pathology or otorhinolaryngology. In the Delphi, experts scored the appropriateness of the measures using a 9-point Likert scale (1, extremely inappropriate; 9, extremely appropriate). Consensus was defined as at least two-thirds of Delphi respondents selecting a score sub-category (1–3, 4–6, or 7–9) that encompassed the median score of the group.

RESULTS: Twenty documents were selected from the literature review. Consensus was reached on the appropriateness of all 50 measures—covering diagnosis (13), treatment (28), follow-up (5), and outcome (4)—for evaluating the quality of care in head and neck cancer. The measures with lowest scores concerned re-hospitalization shortly after surgery or hospitalization time after surgery; those with highest scores regarded correct follow-up, use of imaging for follow-up, and complete resection of the tumor.

CONCLUSIONS: The goal of this study is to develop measures to evaluate and improve the quality of care in head and neck cancer. These interim results show unanimous consensus on the proposed measures on diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and outcome. Next, the scientific committee will prioritize and select the final set of measures and will develop index cards with definitions and instructions on how to use them in clinical practice.