Practice patterns of radiation therapy technology in Australia: results of a national audit

Abstract

IntroductionThis article presents the results of a single‐day census of radiation therapy (RT) treatment and technology use in Australia. The primary aim of the study was to ascertain patterns of RT practice and technology in use across Australia. These data were primarily collated to inform curriculum development of academic programs, thereby ensuring that training is matched to workforce patterns of practice.MethodsThe study design was a census method with all 59 RT centres in Australia being invited to provide quantitative summary data relating to patient case mix and technology use on a randomly selected but common date. Anonymous and demographic‐free data were analysed using descriptive statistics.ResultsOverall data were provided across all six Australian States by 29 centres of a possible 59, yielding a response rate of 49% and representing a total of 2743 patients. Findings from this study indicate the increasing use of emerging intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image fusion and image‐guided radiation therapy (IGRT) technology in Australian RT planning and delivery phases. IMRT in particular was used for 37% of patients, indicating a high uptake of the technology in Australia when compared to other published data. The results also highlight the resource‐intensive nature of benign tumour radiotherapy.ConclusionsIn the absence of routine national data collection, the single‐day census method offers a relatively convenient means of measuring and tracking RT resource utilisation. Wider use of this tool has the potential to not only track trends in technology implementation but also inform evidence‐based guidelines for referral and resource planning.

National survey on image‐guided radiotherapy practice in New Zealand

“…Our results show that all NZ centres had IMRT/VMAT capabilities, in keeping with international trends reporting increased adoption of these techniques over time. 10,12 We found a high uptake of IMRT/ VMAT in H&N and GU malignancies and selective use in other sites, similar to the trend reported in an Australian survey. 10 The strong utilization of IMRT/VMAT for H&N and GU sites is supported by the literature, with improved outcomes in these patients.…”

“…There was a broad range of number of staff members per centre for ROs (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), physicists (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15) and radiation therapists .…”

“…3 Several surveys have shown an increased adoption of IGRT technologies across many countries. 7,[9][10][11] However, little is known about IGRT practices in New Zealand (NZ), as there has been no collection of such data carried out. Therefore, we conducted a survey to evaluate the current use and application of IGRT in New Zealand.…”

Survey of image‐guided radiotherapy use in Australia

“…identified portal imaging as the most common modality for image guidance. A previous Australian audit conducted in 2012 in Queensland found that MV EPI was still the dominant imaging modality compared with planar kV and CBCT, and in 2013 the same authors demonstrated the increasing use of kV CBCT . The trend of in‐room IGRT uptake followed the changes in technology for in‐room IGRT techniques.…”

“…A previous Australian audit conducted in 2012 in Queensland found that MV EPI was still the dominant imaging modality compared with planar kV and CBCT, 14 and in 2013 the same authors demonstrated the increasing use of kV CBCT. 15 The trend of in-room IGRT uptake followed the changes in technology for in-room IGRT techniques. The use of non-ionising radiation-based imaging systems is increasing and is often used in conjunction with radiation-based systems.…”