(Monday, 4/6/2020) 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM [Mountain Time (GMT-6)]
There are many processes in the workflow of radiation therapy. Most, if not all, can be automated to some degree for higher operation efficiency and better patient safety and experience. Automating the various steps in the radiation therapy workflow can have a large impact on clinical care by reducing errors, saving resources (time, money, staff), and improving the quality of patient plans. In this session, we will review clinical applications of automation within the radiation therapy physics workflow.
First, there are a number of available vendor solutions to automate segments of radiation therapy treatment and delivery: contouring, planning, reporting, and quality assurance. Many of these solutions aid in fulfilling the recommendations of AAPM task group reports and MPPGs, as well as other guidelines from accreditation bodies and other professional organizations.
Secondly, due to the high frequency of errors that occur during treatment planning and the repetitive nature of chart checks, physics treatment plan review is an ideal workflow for automation. Combined with incident learning system data, thoughtful creation of automated checks can both reduce the frequency and increase the detectability of errors. Examples of how automation has been applied to improve compliance with department standards for normal tissue guidelines, plan check efficiency, and compliance with standardized nomenclature will be presented.
Thirdly, Real-Time Location System (RTLS) is such a system that can tell the care team at any moment locations of patients, accessories, equipment and staff. Based on the location information, various RTLS applications can be developed to track patients and help find assets and care team members; to greet patients and notify them of appointment schedules when they come to clinic; to verify patients’ identities and specific treatment accessories in treatment areas and so on so forth. When events are clocked, the care team could adapt preset schedules based on arrivals, or get alarmed when patients had waited for certain amount of time.
Improving communications between patients and care team and within care team itself is another simple way to improve clinical workflow and patient experience. For example, a machine status board and an exam room use status board could have patients and care team well informed for better operation and treatment experiences. Automatic notification functionality either in email or paging can also be integrated into clinical applications so as to trigger timely actions when needed or prevent things from falling into cracks.
Chart rounds is a common routine peer review practice in radiation therapy clinics. It can be painfully lengthy and laborious if not configured right especially in a heterogeneous clinical setting. In off the shelf technologies, unreviewed charts can be aggregated automatically on a webpage with access to all plan documents.
Retrieving digital treatment records is often needed when patients come back for retreatments or are referred to other institutions. It is also needed for clinical research. RT PACS is such a system that will make the process efficient and painless, however archiving all treatment plans from various treatment planning system could be laborious and error prone. An automated plan archiving system could solve the problem.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the motivation behind automation in clinical radiation therapy
2. Be familiar with common uses of automation of radiation therapy physics processes and how to use automation strategies to fulfill task group recommendations
3. Be familiar with technologies to improve communications between patients and care team, and among members of a care team.
4. Learn how automation can improve clinical workflow for higher operation efficiency, better patient safety and experience.
Funding Support, Disclosures, and Conflict of Interest: Tyler Blackwell is Radformation employee
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