Regional Training Course on Quality Management in Radiotherapy

Purpose

The purpose of this training course is to present the elements of a quality management programme to an audience of teams from radiotherapy centres comprising of Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists and Radiotherapy Technologists.

Project Background

Project RLA6088 "Strengthening Radiation Medicine Services through Human Capacity Development, Improved Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Networking" aims to improve the management of patients in nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy through the provision of high-quality diagnostic and therapeutic services.

Scope and Nature

• Introduction to the course: the need for integrated, comprehensive quality management in radiotherapy
• What is quality in radiotherapy?
• The differences between quality management, quality assurance and quality control
• The management of quality: quality management systems (with a focus on ISO9001 standard)
• The radiotherapy process workflow
• Human resources (RTTs, radiation oncologists and medical physicists):
  • Qualifications: adequate education, training and recognition of all the professional involved [with reference to IAEA guidelines, e.g. International BSS, Human Health Series 25 for medical physicists]
  • Roles and responsibilities of RTTs, radiation oncologists and medical physicists
  • Continuous Professional Development Staffing [with reference to IAEA documents: Human Health Report 13 and 15]
• Infrastructure, equipment and maintenance:
  • Equipment
  • Space
  • Selection and purchase of equipment
  • Acceptance, commissioning and routine quality checks and relevant documentation and protocols
  • Maintenance and repair
• Financial resources
  • Operational budget
  • Investment
• Quality and radiation protection
• Quality and accident prevention
• Policies and procedures
• Documentation management: from quality policy to checklists and records
• Monitoring and continuous improvement in Quality Management
• Quality management committee
• Radiation protection committee
• Continuous quality improvement
• Chart rounds
• Patient clinic
• Peer review
• Morbidity and mortality
• Incidents and accidents reporting
• Quality Controls
  • Dosimetry
  • Prescription
  • Simulation and tumor delineation
  • Data transfer
  • The plan
  • Delivery
  • End of treatment and consultation
  • Treatment equipment
  • QA equipment
• Quality audits, including the IAEA’s QUATRO methodology
• Quality Certifications
• The overall policy of the center towards quality management