The IAEA/WHO TLD postal dose quality audits for radiotherapy: a perspective of dosimetry practices at hospitals in developing countries

Iżewska, J.; Andreo, Pedro; Vatnitsky, Stanislav; Shortt, K R

doi:10.1016/s0167-8140(03)00245-7

Cited by 80 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…show improvements with time, in terms of fewer out-oftolerance results, smaller ranges and SDs of the distribution of results etc. 6,10,11,15,18,19,37 Although remote TLD audits are less resource intensive, some of the observed discrepancies may arise from inexperience on the part of the local staff carrying out the set-up and irradiation of non-standard phantoms or owing to protocol misinterpretation. On-site visits have less uncertainty and are more likely to find root causes and allow potential resolution of problems at the time of the audit; however, they are significantly more costly.…”

Section: Results Of Dosimetry Auditsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,10,11 Thus, repeated audits directly demonstrate their effect in improving dosimetry consistency and hence the quality of radiotherapy dosimetry was applied in clinical practice. As one example, within the UK, repeated reference dosimetry audits have demonstrated that standard deviations (SDs) of the distribution of differences between measured and expected doses and the incidence of out-of-tolerance discrepancies have decreased, indicating improved consistency at the level of beam calibration in the UK.…”

Section: Dosimetry Audit Justification and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[6][7][8][9][10] The World Health Organization joined this programme in 1968. In the same year, the Radiological Physics Centre (RPC), MD Anderson, Houston (now called the IROC-H, the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core-Houston) first received funding to carry out dosimetry audits within the USA, with their first on-site review being carried out in 1969.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radiotherapy dosimetry audit: three decades of improving standards and accuracy in UK clinical practice and trials

Clark

Aird

Bolton

et al. 2015

BJR

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Dosimetry audit plays an important role in the development and safety of radiotherapy. National and large scale audits are able to set, maintain and improve standards, as well as having the potential to identify issues which may cause harm to patients. They can support implementation of complex techniques and can facilitate awareness and understanding of any issues which may exist by benchmarking centres with similar equipment. This review examines the development of dosimetry audit in the UK over the past 30 years, including the involvement of the UK in international audits. A summary of audit results is given, with an overview of methodologies employed and lessons learnt. Recent and forthcoming more complex audits are considered, with a focus on future needs including the arrival of proton therapy in the UK and other advanced techniques such as four-dimensional radiotherapy delivery and verification, stereotactic radiotherapy and MR linear accelerators. The work of the main quality assurance and auditing bodies is discussed, including how they are working together to streamline audit and to ensure that all radiotherapy centres are involved. Undertaking regular external audit motivates centres to modernize and develop techniques and provides assurance, not only that radiotherapy is planned and delivered accurately but also that the patient dose delivered is as prescribed.

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Section: Results Of Dosimetry Auditsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dosimetry Audit Justification and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radiotherapy dosimetry audit: three decades of improving standards and accuracy in UK clinical practice and trials

Clark

Aird

Bolton

et al. 2015

BJR

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“…Dosimetric audits for low income settings have been in use since 1969 by the IAEA/WHO and have proven to be an invaluable guide for identifying errors and reducing uncertainties 54 . These audits have improved the practice and accuracy of dosimetry in a wide range of RT centers and have helped in maintaining these levels over time 6 .…”

Section: Dosimetric Auditmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety Considerations in Low-Resource Settings: A Medical Physics Perspective

Dyk

Meghzifene

2017

Seminars in Radiation Oncology

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The last few years have seen a significant growth of interest in the global radiation therapy crisis.Various organizations have quantified the need and are providing aid in support of addressing the shortfalls existing in many low-to-middle income countries (LMICs). With the tremendous demand for new facilities, equipment and personnel, it is very important to recognize the quality and safety challenges and to address them directly. An examination of publications on quality and safety in radiation therapy indicates a consistency in a number of the recommendations; however, these authoritative reports were generally based on input from high-resourced contexts.Here we review these recommendations with a special emphasis on issues that are significant in LMICs. While multidimensional, training and staffing are top priorities; any support provided to lower resourced settings must address the numerous facets associated with quality and safety indicators. Strong partnerships between high-income and other countries will enhance the development of safe and resource-appropriate strategies for advancing the radiation treatment process. The real challenge is the engagement of a strong spirit of cooperation, collaboration and communication between the multiple organizations in support of reducing the cancer divide and improving the provision of safe and effective radiation therapy.

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“…The two largest audit networks are currently operated by the IAEA [1,2] and the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Huston (IROC Huston) [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A system for remote dosimetry audit of 3D-CRT, IMRT and VMAT based on lithium formate dosimetry

Adolfsson

Gustafsson

Lund

et al. 2014

Radiotherapy and Oncology

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The IAEA/WHO TLD postal dose quality audits for radiotherapy: a perspective of dosimetry practices at hospitals in developing countries

Cited by 80 publications

References 8 publications

Radiotherapy dosimetry audit: three decades of improving standards and accuracy in UK clinical practice and trials

Radiotherapy dosimetry audit: three decades of improving standards and accuracy in UK clinical practice and trials

Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety Considerations in Low-Resource Settings: A Medical Physics Perspective

A system for remote dosimetry audit of 3D-CRT, IMRT and VMAT based on lithium formate dosimetry

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