A snapshot of medical physics practice patterns

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Therapy
• Clinical Practice

Background:

• Medical physicists play a crucial role in various clinical topics.
• Numerous surveys have been conducted within the medical physics community.
• These surveys offer valuable insights into current clinical practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a comprehensive summary of existing survey data.
• To provide a snapshot of clinical practice patterns in medical physics.
• To offer an instructive overview for medical physicists based on recent survey data.

Main Methods:

• Surveys were distributed via MEDPHYS and MEDDOS listservs from February 2013 to January 2018.
• Analysis included surveys with over 20 responses, relevant to radiation therapy physics, and not vendor-specific.
• 139 out of 252 available surveys met the inclusion criteria for analysis.

Main Results:

• The study analyzed survey data covering simulation, treatment planning, quality assurance, and various treatment modalities.
• Key topics included Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SRS/SBRT), and brachytherapy.
• The average survey had 4 questions and 63 respondents, providing a robust dataset.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully synthesized survey data to present a coherent overview of medical physics practice.
• The findings offer valuable insights into clinical practice patterns over a 5-year period.
• This summary serves as an instructive resource for medical physicists in radiation therapy.