The dose delivered by in vivo 3-D external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) was verified with L-alanine/electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry for patients diagnosed with gynaecological cancer. Measurements were performed with an X-band ESR spectrometer. Dosemeters were positioned inside the vaginal cavity with the assistance of an apparatus specially designed for this study. Previous phantom studies were performed using the same conditions as in the in vivo treatment. Four patients participated in this study during 20-irradiation sessions, giving 220 dosemeters to be analysed. The doses were determined with the treatment planning system, providing dose confirmation. The phantom study resulted in a deviation between -2.5 and 2.1 %, and for the in vivo study a deviation between -9.2 and 14.2 % was observed. In all cases, the use of alanine with ESR was effective for dose assessment, yielding results consistent with the values set forth in the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) reports.
In Brazil the hiring of medical physics in radiation therapy (RT) departments is defined by regulatory agencies, considering only the number of patients treated. With the rise of new technologies, treatment techniques become more complex, requiring a greater amount of time and staff qualifications. International organizations solved this problem with a method for assessing personnel levels and determining the quantity of professionals required for a specific RT department. In this work, we adapted this strategy to our clinical reality and derived calculations of the time per task multiplied by the expected number of tasks. The task requirements were described in detail and the amounts of time required to perform each task over a one-year period were determined. The sum of task times were related to a suitable full-time equivalence (FTE), considering a team only of medical physicists. We thus determined that our clinic should have 11 FTE personnel, evidencing a need for hiring. The use of a personnel justification grid enables the demonstration of professional staffing insufficiencies in clinics, a condition that hinders the development of RT departments, including the scope of teaching and research.
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