QUALITY AND SAFETY IN RADIATION ONCOLOGY: IMPLEMENTING TOOLS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR PATIENTS, PROVIDERS, AND PAYERS

Quality and Safety in Radiation Oncology provides an authoritative and evidence-based guide to the understanding and implementation of quality and safety procedures in radiation oncology practice. A detailed exploration and review of these standards is a necessary part of a radiation oncology professional’s competency, both in the clinical setting and at the study table while preparing for board review and MOC exams. This book is also essential for other members of the radiotherapy team, including for medical physicists implementing procedures and working with wide-ranging technologies and equipment and for dosimetrists and radiation therapists tailoring and carrying out safe and effective treatment plans.

Chapter topics range from fundamental concepts of value and quality to specific technical consideration in the commissioning and use of equipment to the use of metrics to measure value. Chapters include perspectives on quality and safety from the patient, third-party payers, as well as from the federal government. Other chapters cover prospective testing of quality, training and education, error identification and analysis, incidence reporting, as well as special technology and procedures, including MRI-guided radiation therapy, proton therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), quality and safety considerations in resource-limited environments, and more. Physicians, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, nurses, hospital administrators, vendors and other health care professionals will find this resource an invaluable compendium of best practices in radiation oncology.

KEY FEATURES:

• Case examples illustrating best practices and pitfalls
• Dozens of graphs, tables and figures which help illustrate and quantify the discussion of quality and safety throughout the text
• Part II covers essential aspects of quality and safety procedures for the medical physicist
• Includes examples of checklists to support best practices

Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, is Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Tim R. Williams, MD, Medical Director, Radiation Oncology, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, FL

Eric C. Ford, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA