[Radiotherapy and the flow of data and documentation]

Working approaches to radiotherapy are constantly in contact with new techniques that simultaneously require more advanced information flow and integration of all required information. These procedures are multi-dimensional and comprise a broad spectrum of documentation (patient demography, radiotherapy data, information required for diagnosis and treatment specification, illustrative records, etc.). These data are indispensable to the patient treatment process and it is crucial that they be integrated into patient health documentation. They are also necessary to enable long-term and speedy access to the data fields required by staff involved in treatment. In view of the various requirements placed on systems and their range of usage, it is essential that communication standards (DICOM, DICOM RT, PACS, HL7) are employed in such a way as to ensure compatibility and common systems communication.