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Title: SU-F-P-08: Medical Physics Perspective On Radiation Therapy Quality and Safety Considerations in Low Income Settings

Abstract

Purpose: The last few years have seen a significant growth of interest in the global radiation therapy crisis. Various organizations are quantifying the need and providing aid in support of addressing the shortfall existing in many low-to-middle income countries (LMICs). The Lancet Oncology Commission report (Lancet Oncol. Sep;16(10):1153-86, 2015) projects a need of 22,000 new medical physicists in LMICs by 2035 if there is to be equal access globally. With the tremendous demand for new facilities, equipment and personnel, it is very important to recognize quality and safety considerations and to address them directly. Methods: A detailed examination of quality and safety publications was undertaken. A paper by Dunscombe (Front. Oncol. 2: 129, 2012) reviewed the recommendations of 7 authoritative reports on safety in radiation therapy and found the 12 most cited recommendations, summarized in order of most to least cited: training, staffing, documentation/standard operating procedures, incident learning, communication/questioning, check lists, QC/PM, dosimetric audit, accreditation, minimizing interruptions, prospective risk assessment, and safety culture. However, these authoritative reports were generally based on input from high income contexts. In this work, the recommendations were analyzed with a special emphasis on issues that are significant in LMICs. Results: The review indicated that theremore » are significant challenges in LMICs with training and staffing ranking at the top in terms quality and safety. Conclusion: With the recognized need for expanding global access to radiation therapy, especially in LMICs, and the backing by multiple support organizations, quality and safety considerations must be overtly addressed. While multidimensional, training and staffing are top priorities. The use of outdated systems with poor interconnectivity, coupled with a lack of systematic QA in high patient load settings are additional concerns. Any support provided to lower resourced settings must address the multiple facets associated with these quality and safety indicators.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Western University London, ON (Canada)
  2. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22624451
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 43; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: (c) 2016 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; 61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY; HAZARDS; LEARNING; MEDICAL PERSONNEL; PATIENTS; RADIATION ACCIDENTS; RADIOTHERAPY; RECOMMENDATIONS; REVIEWS; RISK ASSESSMENT; SAFETY; SAFETY CULTURE; TRAINING

Citation Formats

Van Dyk, J, and Meghzifene, A. SU-F-P-08: Medical Physics Perspective On Radiation Therapy Quality and Safety Considerations in Low Income Settings. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1118/1.4955715.
Van Dyk, J, & Meghzifene, A. SU-F-P-08: Medical Physics Perspective On Radiation Therapy Quality and Safety Considerations in Low Income Settings. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4955715
Van Dyk, J, and Meghzifene, A. 2016. "SU-F-P-08: Medical Physics Perspective On Radiation Therapy Quality and Safety Considerations in Low Income Settings". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4955715.
@article{osti_22624451,
title = {SU-F-P-08: Medical Physics Perspective On Radiation Therapy Quality and Safety Considerations in Low Income Settings},
author = {Van Dyk, J and Meghzifene, A},
abstractNote = {Purpose: The last few years have seen a significant growth of interest in the global radiation therapy crisis. Various organizations are quantifying the need and providing aid in support of addressing the shortfall existing in many low-to-middle income countries (LMICs). The Lancet Oncology Commission report (Lancet Oncol. Sep;16(10):1153-86, 2015) projects a need of 22,000 new medical physicists in LMICs by 2035 if there is to be equal access globally. With the tremendous demand for new facilities, equipment and personnel, it is very important to recognize quality and safety considerations and to address them directly. Methods: A detailed examination of quality and safety publications was undertaken. A paper by Dunscombe (Front. Oncol. 2: 129, 2012) reviewed the recommendations of 7 authoritative reports on safety in radiation therapy and found the 12 most cited recommendations, summarized in order of most to least cited: training, staffing, documentation/standard operating procedures, incident learning, communication/questioning, check lists, QC/PM, dosimetric audit, accreditation, minimizing interruptions, prospective risk assessment, and safety culture. However, these authoritative reports were generally based on input from high income contexts. In this work, the recommendations were analyzed with a special emphasis on issues that are significant in LMICs. Results: The review indicated that there are significant challenges in LMICs with training and staffing ranking at the top in terms quality and safety. Conclusion: With the recognized need for expanding global access to radiation therapy, especially in LMICs, and the backing by multiple support organizations, quality and safety considerations must be overtly addressed. While multidimensional, training and staffing are top priorities. The use of outdated systems with poor interconnectivity, coupled with a lack of systematic QA in high patient load settings are additional concerns. Any support provided to lower resourced settings must address the multiple facets associated with these quality and safety indicators.},
doi = {10.1118/1.4955715},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22624451}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 6,
volume = 43,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}