Standardizing Radiation Oncology Treatment Protocols
S. GANGULY 1,2, R. MA 2 , J BAKER 1,2,3, C POLVOROSA 2, Y CAO 1,2,3 and J. CHANG 1,2,3
1Hofstra University, New York, USA
2Northwell Health, New York, USA
3Zucker School of Medicine, New York, USA
INTRODUCTION
Ensuring consistency in treatment workflows is imperative for multi-center institutionalized health systems in radiation oncology. Our approach strives to standardize treatment workflows across various cancer centers achieved through a consensus, stratified on treatment sites, modalities, and techniques. This initiative aims to elevate the quality and uniformity of patient care irrespective of the treatment location with varying treatment machines and imaging capabilities
METHOD
To streamline our processes, we adopted the AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) TG-263 naming conventions for structures and DVH (Dose Volume Histogram) in accordance with the ASTRO (American Society of Radiation Oncology) Safety is No Accident framework. Patient journeys were divided into tasks from ASTRO guidelines and managed through a relational database that pools On-Board imaging data and treatment parameters. Prescriptions, Special Physics Consults, simulation instructions, dose constraint, on treatment imaging, patient care instructions and references were organized into separate data tables. Combining contributes to a comprehensive treatment directive linked to multiple prescriptions. The tables can further be grouped with entity relations with multiple data tables based on treatment parameters through a dynamic admin panel managed by the directive committee.
RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
The Directive Application directly addresses challenges associated in the standardization in clinical workflows, contributing to the enhancement of the quality and consistency of cancer care. Furthermore, the ability to incorporate external clinical protocols establishes a structured framework for evidencebased treatment planning.
REFERENCES
1. American. Safety is No Accident - American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) - American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published 2016
2. Standardizing Nomenclatures in Radiation Oncology the Report of AAPM Task Group 263.; 2018.
3. IHE-RO. www.aapm.org. Accessed February 23, 2024. https://www.aapm.org/IHERO/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
All author COI is disclosed.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Sandeepan Ganguly contact@sandeepanganguly.com +1 516 523 2019