Improving Quality Assurance in a Radiation Oncology Using ARIA Visual Care Path

Area of Science:

• Radiotherapy
• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Radiotherapy (RT) processes are complex and prone to errors and incidents.
• Quality assurance (QA) is crucial for patient safety in RT.
• Existing workflows may lack integrated solutions for comprehensive care path management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a customized ARIA Visual Care Path (VCP) on quality assurance (QA) within the radiotherapy process.
• To assess the effectiveness of integrated software in managing the RT patient care path.
• To determine if VCP implementation reduces major and minor incidents in RT.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 105 patients and 945 tasks was conducted.
• Customized tasks within the ARIA VCP were independently verified by radiation oncologists, medical physics, and radiation therapists.
• Data on timeliness of task completion and minor/major incidents were collected and analyzed across three periods (2019-2023).

Main Results:

• 100% staff compliance with ARIA VCP timely completion was achieved.
• No major incidents were identified (0.0% major incident rate).
• Minor incidents occurred at 3.8%, with a statistically significant decrease in the most recent period (Period C).

Conclusions:

• Integrated software solutions, like the ARIA VCP, can effectively manage the radiotherapy patient care path.
• Implementation of the ARIA VCP improved workflow efficiency and reduced the risk of both major and minor incidents.
• The VCP demonstrates a valuable tool for enhancing quality assurance in radiotherapy departments.