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Basic Treatment Equivalent (BTE): a new measure of linear accelerator workload

G P Delaney¹, V Gebski, A D Lunn

¹Westmead Hospital, NSW, Australia.

Clinical Oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain))

|January 1, 1997

Summary

A new model, Basic Treatment Equivalent (BTE), accurately measures radiation oncology linear accelerator workload by accounting for treatment complexity, unlike previous methods. This offers a realistic basis for cost assessment and patient throughput comparisons.

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Area of Science:

Radiation Oncology
Medical Physics
Health Services Research

Background:

Current linear accelerator workload measurement in radiation oncology relies on treatment fields per unit time, neglecting complexity.
This method provides an inaccurate basis for cost assessment and patient throughput comparisons between departments.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a simple, reproducible model for measuring linear accelerator workload in Australasian radiation oncology departments.
To account for variations in treatment complexity, providing a realistic basis for cost assessment and patient throughput comparison.

Main Methods:

Prospective study measuring the duration of 2371 radiotherapy fractions over 4 weeks.
Multivariate modeling identified factors influencing fraction duration, including treatment complexity variables.

Related Experiment Videos

Derived and validated the 'Basic Treatment Equivalent' (BTE) model at Westmead Hospital.

Main Results:

Fraction duration was significantly influenced by the number of fields, shielding blocks, first treatment fraction, need for anesthesia, and performance status.
The derived BTE model accurately reflected predicted resource utilization during a subsequent 1-week study.
The BTE model demonstrated a more accurate reflection of linear accelerator workload compared to previous measures.

Conclusions:

The developed BTE model offers a more realistic assessment of linear accelerator workload by incorporating treatment complexity.
Further prospective testing and Australasian validation are required before widespread adoption.
The BTE model has significant implications for workload reporting, cost analysis, and patient scheduling in radiation oncology.