Abstract Plus is a free-of-charge cancer data collection tool developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the Registry Plus™ suite. The software is used to summarize medical records into an electronic report of cancer diagnosis and treatment by abstractors, central cancer registrars, and other individuals working with cancer data.
Key Benefits and Capabilities
Abstract Plus is crucial for implementing the CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), established by Public Law 102-515. It supports the abstraction of all data items in national standard data sets, including all text fields, as well as any state-specific data items. The output is an electronic abstract in the format of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) data exchange layout, facilitating standardized reporting.
Central cancer registries can customize Abstract Plus for use by hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other cancer data sources for reporting to the central registry.
Main Features
- Data Validation: Abstracts are validated by customizable edits, allowing for interactive error correction while abstracting.
- User Interface: Features a user-friendly abstracting interface with direct grid entry of coded values.
- Online Help: Includes Registry Plus Online Help, a collection of standard coding manuals that are cross-referenced, indexed, and context-linked.
- Security: Has robust security features, including user roles (abstractor/general user), challenge questions, and passwords. All records are saved in Microsoft® Access or SQL server databases, and all tables are password-protected and encrypted.
- Data Management: Supports importing and exporting abstracts in NAACCR file format, as well as reporting and database backup/restore functions.
Target Users and Use Cases
Primary intended users are central cancer registries. The software is also distributed and used by non-registry hospitals, clinics, and laboratories to report cancer cases to their respective central cancer registries. The software is not designed to include all functionality required in an American College of Surgeons-approved hospital cancer registry.