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Session Item

RTT track: Risk management/quality management
9350
Poster
RTT
00:00 - 00:00
ARIA 15 Visual care Path for quality assurance of radiation oncology course
PO-1947

Abstract

ARIA 15 Visual care Path for quality assurance of radiation oncology course
Authors: Fragnoli|, Federica(1);Bonaparte |, Ilaria(1);Branà |, Luciana(1);Aga|, Alberto(1);De Masi|, Marina(1);Ciocia|, Annarita(1);Indellicati|, Chiara(1);Parabita|, Rosalinda(1);Sanfrancesco|, Giuseppe(1);De Pascali|, Christian(1);Berloco|, Francesco(1);Caliandro|, Morena(1);Gregucci|, Fabiana(1);Surgo|, Alessia(1);Carbonara |, Roberta(1);Fiorentino|, Alba(1)*[albafiorentino@hotmail.it];
(1)Regional General Hospital Miulli, Radiation Oncology, Acquaviva delle fonti, Italy;
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Purpose or Objective

Aria 15 Visual Care Path (VCP) is a workflow tool for radiotherapy oncology (RO) course. Aim of this study was to quantify the impact of VCP on quality assurance in terms of efficiency and safety, for patient’s course in Radiotherapy

Material and Methods

The multidisciplinary quality improvement team (Radiation oncologist, physicists and technicians) reviewed the entire process of patient care and constructed VCP modules to chart serial and parallel events from CT simulation to treatment completion. The RO course was defined as follow: CT simulation, contouring within 2 days, dose prescription in 1 day, planning  within 2 days, plan approval 1 day. Following this organization, patients start RO treatment within 8 das. Data on timeliness of task completion were collected for all patients. Errors detected during a physics plan check were also monitored.

Results

From July 2019 to September 2019, 165 patients were treated and analyzed. 123 patients (75%) started treatment within 8 days, while 38 patients (23%) started treatment in a time ranged from 9 to 16 days; and  only 4 patients (2%) started after 19-24 days.  The reasons of Start delay for 42 patients  were as follow: logistic/organization reasons for 16 patients (transport problems and festivity issue); clinical reasons for 26 patients (further instrumental investigations or radiological examinations, concurrent chemotherapy or inadequate physical condition of the patient). Analyzing the VCP, the activities that took a longer time were the phase of contouring and planning, with an average number of days of 5 and 4 days, respectively. The defect rate (ratio of plans with errors to the total number of plans checked by a physicist) was null, in fact no errors were found for all the patients analyzed, neither during the planning phase, nor during the treatment delivery phase. A satisfaction questionnaire was also submitted to the members of the staff regarding this instrument and all responded positively, both for the  possibility offered by the VCP to simplify the workflow, and for its ease and immediacy in use.

Conclusion

Implementation of the VCP in our department improved workflow efficiency, reduced the number of errors, and was very well received within the department.