Solutions

Life at Cancer Risk ™

Progressive cancer control agencies and organisations are beginning to understand the effects of the growing population within the cancer control as a problem. It is clear that an implementation of a knowledge network along the lines of a risk management organisational model is necessary. Such an approach requires the unification of current knowledge structures to allow key executive decision makers to:

• Measure their environment in a way which is transparent (open to validation) and consistent with their motivations and subsequent goals;
• Consolidate their measurements to produce information that will facilitate action and determine the formulation of traceable decisions (logical);
• Internally communicate the results of their decisions to operational units in a way which emphasises relevance and action;
• Externally communicate the results of their decisions to stakeholders in a way which emphasises the organisation’s relevance and action;
• Internally manage the delegation and implementation of their decisions by internal performance evaluation. This is done in a way that supports the constrained resource utilisation decisions that managers are required to make and provides a basis for justification to stakeholders;
• Externally manage the resource constraints imposed by stakeholders through performance evaluation.

Such risk management structure will enable the modern cancer control organization to measure, perform analysis, and manage (via communication) itself towards its vital goals. Likewise, this approach will allow the key operational decision makers to measure manage and act in the context of a broader stakeholder system.

RiskAnalytica has developed the necessary technology, mathematical and reporting infrastructure that is required to meet these types of organisational goals. RiskAnalytica employs a variety of quantitative methods embedding them within a single risk management framework for cancer control. The developed framework is known as Life at Cancer Risk™.

Cancer Control Continuum

The conceptual framework uses physics, systems theory and risk management practice to explore the wide spectrum of the potential impacts of initial risk factors on cancer, through to various intermediate stages such as diagnostics to treatment to cancer care. This incorporates the breadth and depth of how cancer control management can change the various impacts of cancer and cancer control on a community and their economies across the cancer control continuum:

The Life at Cancer Risk platform is designed around the cancer control continuum, from the way its analytics are developed through to the way in which a user interacts with the system. By incorporating the cancer control continuum into the fabric of Life at Cancer Risk, the various disciplines of demographics, economics, epidemiology, research, translational research and clinical practice are able to be incorporated into the business case and on-going management of the cancer control continuum.

Cancer Perspectives

The paradigm of the Life at Cancer Risk™ framework is centric around the different perspectives which make up each individual step of the cancer control continuum. The integration of the various perspectives is made possible through the language and measurement of the associated risks and rewards for each function that contributes to the progress of cancer control.

Each step of the cancer control continuum can be decomposed into the different perspectives. Using the language of risks and rewards for each perspective, as supported by the analytical means to measure risk and rewards, each perspective is able to communicate and collaborate.

If resources and motivations are correctly aligned, this process ultimately provides the action necessary for Executive Management to pursue their rewards and manage away from their risks. Resource and motivational alignment are ‘discovered’ through performance evaluation.

Cancer Management

It is in the context of the cancer control continuum (as well as the broader meaning of cancer risk from the disease through to the way it is diagnosed, treated, post treatment care etc) the Life at Cancer Risk measures the many effects of cancer control action (or inaction), and the way in which cancer control is delivered.

For example, a typical approach to assessing the impact of a cancer control intervention would be to anticipate how cancer statistics (impacts of cancer) will change after its implementation. The broader perspective of cancer control risk management establishes an assessment of a cancer control intervention in the context of the gains that could be anticipated from the intervention directly (over a given time horizon) and the opportunities lost from pursuing such an intervention indirectly. In this way, the approach allows for active and dynamic risk management techniques to be used through the measurement of rewards and risks across the different ways in which they can be realised.

Forward Looking Risk Management

The approach is forward looking, mapping the near term, medium term and long term impacts upon life, disability of life and economic factors. The forward looking nature of the approach is necessary not only for the purposes of managerial decision-making but also in order to recognize that the extent of the problem lies beyond current cancer patients and potential future cancer patients must be considered as well. This reinforces the fact that cancer management is recognised to include not only a control focus, but also a forward looking focus of risk management across wider potential health, social and economic effects. That is, a cancer risk management approach to cancer control requires longer time horizons to be considered as part of its planning process. We have found this to be a necessary step when dealing with the characteristics of cancer and delivering proactive cancer control.

An effective risk management is about asking the right questions, anticipating the answer and having the ability to respond. To manage risk, an organization must be able to observe (measure) risk and reward regions.

The diagram (below) illustrates the interdisciplinary scientific foundation of management and governance. By understanding the range of possibilities, an organization will increase its understanding of the risk associated with an action as well as the potential gains (reward). With such knowledge, the organization is able to establish achievable goals, from which objectives and tactics can be implied.

The essence of management action is built around understanding the possibilities, their risks and rewards representations, and the way in which constrained resources are utilised to form goals, objectives and tactics (i.e. strategy).

In general, advanced simulation techniques are required in order to ensure the range of possibilities (which face an organization) are as complete and consistent as the resources allow. The result is a set of potential scenarios with corresponding probabilities (for decision-makers) which indicate the effort, efficiency and effectiveness required to achieve a specific goal.

Increasing the Quality of Management Information

The results of Life at Cancer Risk™ for clients significantly assists the implementation of cancer control by increasing the quality of information regarding the effects of cancer within specific time horizons as well as improved observation of the way in which the growing cancer burden can be effectively and objectively controlled. By recognising the need for a risk management technology platform oriented solution which supports these general organisational requirements, clients are able to leverage the role of a risk management technology platform by:

1. Unification: Incorporating the contribution of its organisational centres of which have exhibited excellent performance in the past. This is to be done by further strengthening the inclusion and accessibility of these core competencies in the organisation by means of an organisation wide risk management platform. This is achieved by coupling the vertical two-way collaboration between executive management and operational units (the hierarchical structure of the organisation) with the horizontal two-way collaboration between operational units.
   
2. Translation: Directing the development of such a risk management platform to constantly increase its ability to generate and propagate knowledge using analytical and risk/reward based communication methods. If the three main components of the cancer control system (research, clinical and population) are distinct in terms of funding, funding sources, and performance incentives, the transfer of knowledge throughout the system will not occur without intervention. To attain an efficient cancer control structure, a practical and well managed response that employs intentional and strategic planning is required. The challenge here is the formation of a robust and enduring knowledge framework that delivers relevant, reliable, exploitable, and cost effective information in a timely fashion.