Quality assurance in radiation oncology

摘要

Quality assurance is important for any medical procedure or intervention to ensure that patients receive management that is suited to their medical condition and that which has been described in textbooks, literature or by expert opinion. Currently many procedures are complex and require a multi-step process, each stage of which may be prone to mistakes, deviations or variation in interpretation. Radiation oncology involves a very complex process of consultation, preparation or planning and execution or treatment. Each of these processes requires stringent adherence to accepted standards both within a particular radiation oncology department or within a national health system. This is particularly important with rarer conditions, or where there is some debate regarding appropriate management. When conducting research it is vital that conformity across all researchers exists. While protocols go some way to ensure this, there have to be quality assurance mechanisms to ensure uniformity and compliance to the protocol. Some deviations may have minimal effects on outcome, while others may have a profound effect and compromise patient outcomes and results of clinical trials.