Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Messrs Fung-Kee-Fung and Stern); and Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Messrs Fung-Kee-Fung, Crossley, Langer, Smith, and Stern, and Mss Goubanova, Sequeira, Abdulla, and Cook).
Corresponding Author: Michael Fung-Kee-Fung, MBBS, FRCS, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, 501 Smyth Road, 8th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8L6 ([email protected]).
All the authors contributed equally to this work. M.F.K.F. conceived of the study, designed the model, and drafted the manuscript; E.G. participated in sequence alignment and helped draft the manuscript; K.S. participated in study design and coordination; A.A. carried out the study and participated in acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data; R.C. made substantial contributions to conception and design of the evaluation framework and was involved in revising the manuscript; C.C. made substantial revisions to the manuscript and continues to work with the COP concept on a daily basis; B.L. was involved in revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content and contributed to the design of the study; and A.J.S. and H.S. made substantial contributions to conception and design of the study.
The authors thank Sue Huckson, Community of Practice Coordinator, National Institute for Clinical Studies, Australia, for sharing her experience in setting COPs in emergency care. (The National Institute of Clinical Studies was established by the Australian government in December 2000. It is a Commonwealth owned company, limited by guarantee. Under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act (1997), the National Institute of Clinical Studies is responsible to the Australian Government through the minister for health and ageing.)
Funding: Cancer Care Ontario is a provincewide cancer agency mandated by the government of Ontario to provide strategic direction and leadership for all components of Ontario's cancer control system. It is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
