SafetyNet: Streamlining and Automating QA in radiotherapy

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Software Engineering

Background:

• Radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) is critical but often time-consuming and prone to human error.
• Manual QA tasks like data transfer are inefficient and can lead to missed steps, impacting patient safety.
• Existing QA processes require significant human oversight, increasing costs and potential for errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To streamline and automate radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) processes.
• To reduce the time and cost associated with manual QA tasks.
• To improve the reliability and efficiency of QA procedures through software solutions.

Main Methods:

• Decomposition of QA tasks into discrete, manageable steps.
• Development of software for autonomous or human-initiated automation of specific QA tasks.
• Collaboration between medical physicists and software engineers to identify and implement automation opportunities.
• Formal software development lifecycle including requirements, development, testing, and commissioning.
• Structured clinical release process involving evaluation, training, and deployment.

Main Results:

• Six key QA and safety processes were successfully improved.
• Automation of data transfer and implementation of computer-based checks significantly reduced manual effort.
• An event-driven framework facilitated system automation, enhancing efficiency.
• First-time quality was increased, and time spent on low-level tasks was reduced.
• Expedited patient-sensitive QA tests were achieved through coordinated engineering and clinical efforts.

Conclusions:

• Software-driven automation effectively addresses inefficiencies and unreliability in radiotherapy QA.
• Streamlining QA processes enhances operational efficiency and reduces costs.
• Collaborative development between medical physicists and software engineers is key to successful QA automation.
• Automated QA systems improve the speed and accuracy of patient-sensitive tests, enhancing overall safety.