A Qualitative Comparison to Understand the Differences between Perceptions and Reality of Errors in Radiation Therapy: An Understanding Based on Principles of Perception Psychology

摘要

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively, compare, and understand why perceptions of errors in radiation therapy differ from actual reported errors.Methods: The qualitative study consisted of one-on-one semi-structured interviews that were conducted with three radiation therapists and two medical physicists. Eight interview questions were based on the discrepancies that existed between perceptions and actual error reports from a survey administered in 2010. Interviews were voice recorded and transcribed followed by three independent thematic analyses. Saturated themes were those that were shared across all respondents. Interpretation of these results was based on the literature of perception psychology in an attempt to understand why such perceptions existed or differed from actual reports.