(Sunday, 7/29/2018) 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Room: Exhibit Hall
Purpose: When our radiation oncology department moved to a newly opened cancer center, we simultaneously changed R&V systems, treatment planning systems and HDR vendors in addition to commissioning three new machines. In this high-pressure environment, one goal was to quickly and efficiently educate clinical physics and dosimetry staff on the new R&V system (Varian’s Aria), and to assess the efficacy of the training techniques used.
Methods: An “Aria Champions� team was formed, consisting of representatives from each clinical group. The physics/dosimetry Champions developed and implemented several training tools including six introductory self-study modules, instructional sessions in a computer lab, step-by-step workflow documents, and practice checklists. Surveys were administered to assess the changes in each learner’s comfort level with Aria over time as well as how helpful the instructional materials were from the learner’s perspective.
Results: The average time each person spent practicing in Aria prior to clinical go-live was 9.7 ± 12.0 hours, indicating a wide range of practice time. Participants reported an average increase in comfort level of 2.5 on a scale from 1-5 between the start of training and the time of the survey, with all physicists and dosimetrists describing their current comfort level as “somewhat� or “very� comfortable. The most helpful training resources were reported to be instructions for setting up the Aria user home screen, followed by dedicated workflow documentation, practice checklist and training modules. One of the resources reported to be least helpful was on-site sessions with Varian trainers, which underscores the importance of the Champions’ efforts to train staff in-house.
Conclusion: Survey results indicate that in-house staff training is an important aspect of quickly and efficiently increasing comfort levels with a new system. The methods we implemented, especially workflow documentation, training modules and checklists, could be useful to other departments transitioning to Aria R&V.
Keywords
Record And Verify, Software, Treatment Planning
Taxonomy
TH- External beam- photons: General (most aspects)
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