Applying Quality Oncology Practices in Africa: Lean Implementation, Real Impact

BACKGROUND In many low- and middle-income countries, expanding access to cancer services has been a major priority. Yet, patient outcomes increasingly depend not only on whether services exist but on how care is organized, documented, and coordinated within overstretched systems. ASCO's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) has shown that structured quality measurement is feasible in resource-limited settings (RLSs), but less attention has been given to how such frameworks can be sustained without adding pressure to already burdened clinical teams. OBJECTIVE To describe how the ASCO QOPI Resource-Limited Setting (RLS) track, implemented through a lean, stepwise approach, can generate real and sustained institutional improvements in a resource-constrained oncology setting in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS Drawing on implementation experience across African oncology programs, this analysis applies a lean lens. Lean is used here as an approach that focuses on simplifying processes, reducing unnecessary steps, and introducing changes in stages. The analysis examines how QOPI RLS was introduced in a stepwise fashion and integrated into routine care. The three-tier structure is analyzed as a sequencing strategy that stabilizes core processes before expanding measurement to more complex domains. Operational examples illustrate how QOPI evolved from a documentation exercise into an embedded governance tool. RESULTS A staged and lean-informed implementation transformed QOPI from a reporting framework into an organizing system for care delivery. Initial focus on essential processes such as documentation and treatment planning established a reliable baseline. Subsequent expansion made previously hidden gaps in safety, coordination, and continuity of care visible, allowing targeted improvements without overloading clinical workflows. Over time, quality activities became embedded within routine practice, supporting more consistent delivery of systemic therapies and strengthening institutional capability. As systems matured, these processes also created a foundation for more complex functions, including coordination across the patient pathway and readiness for clinical trial implementation. CONCLUSION Structured, stepwise quality approaches can strengthen oncology care in RLSs by improving the reliability of core processes. This offers a practical pathway for applying global standards and improving day-to-day care across diverse health systems.