Methodology
OnKOvid project was completed in december 2023. It contains data from the 2019-2023 period.
The Slovenian Cancer Registry is a national service for the systematic collection, storage, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data on cancer patients, their diseases and treatments. Because the process of data collection, quality control and coding is complex and follows international classifications, registering a new cancer case following the usual procedure is time-consuming and therefore usually only available to users of population cancer registries after two to three years. Only registries allowing electronic data acquisition and analysis at the national level can be used for continuous monitoring. We are proud to say that our registry is one of the few registries in the world that allows users to make short-term assessments of the impact of the effects during or immediately after the COVID-19 epidemic, as most Slovenian hospitals and two major pathohistological laboratories (the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana and the University Medical Centre Maribor) provide their data electronically.
The figures on new cancer cases found on the onKOvid website do not reflect the true cancer incidence in Slovenia, as the preliminary data published on onKOvid has not yet been reviewed and processed according to the usual procedures for the Slovenian Cancer Registry. The same person may appear on reports from multiple sources, and the data at the source may be inaccurate (e.g., a borderline malignant tumour being reported as malignant).
The following hospitals report data on the treatment of new cancer patients to the Cancer Registry (this data is shown on onKOvid):
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana
- University Medical Centre Maribor
Referrals for Cancer Treatment
In the Slovenian healthcare system, a referral is a document by which a general practitioner or another doctor refers an insured patient for a specialist examination or procedure. In 2017, the referral system in Slovenia was digitalized, with the National Institute of Public Health (Nacionalni inštitut za javno zdravje, NIJZ) having an overview of all e-referrals. The data on referrals for selected oncology services used for onKOvid is obtained monthly from the NIJZ e-referral database: first oncologyappointments, follow-up care and referrals for cancergenetic counselling and testing. The data can be obtained from NIJZ with one month's delay.
Patient Care Provided at the Institute of Oncology
Data on examinations and services performed at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana used for onKOvid is obtained from the institute's monthly administrative and accounting reports. The data can be obtained with one month's delay.
Data Display
The data is shown in the following three ways.
1. Display of the absolute numbers, which are indicated for 2019, 2020 and 2021. For example: there were 463 new referrals for the first oncology appointments (at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana) in March 2019, 431 in March 2020, and 492 in March 2021.
2. Display of the percentage differences over the years, where 2019 is the base and is represented by the line at 0%, while the values for other years are given as a percentage difference compared to 2019. For example: in March 2020, there were 6.9% fewer referrals for a first oncology appointment at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana compared to March 2019.
3. Display of differences in the number of appointments by various divisions using the type 2 graph.
