Program Information
The Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service, a Bespoke National Solution
I Williams1*, J Lehmann2 , J Lye1 , J Kenny3 , A Alves1 , L Dunn4 , T Kron5 , (1) Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service, Yallambie, Vic, (2) University of Sydney, Sydney, (3) Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, Vic, (4) Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, ,(5) Peter MacCallum Cancer Instit., Melbourne,
Presentations
SU-E-P-3 (Sunday, July 12, 2015) 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Room: Exhibit Hall
Purpose:
The Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service, (ACDS) was a pilot program to enable the Australian Government to determine whether a locally designed audit program was suitable for mitigating dosimetric error risk to radiotherapy patients within Australia. The outcomes from four years of operations will be presented and discussed with a focus why and how the pilot requirements were met. The consequnces of success will be considered, the lessons learnt from the pilot program and how they are impacting the future ACDS design, operation and engagement with stakeholders.
Methods:
The ACDS was designed over 2010/11 by experts drawn from the three professions in consultation with the national Department of Health. The list of outcomes required over a three year pilot was expressed in a Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) between Health and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) which hosted the ACDS.
Results:
The ACDS has achieved all the MoU requirements. This paper describes how the staff within the ACDS engaged with the professional clinical workforce and provided a successful and functioning audit service. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses within the MoU and the ACDS structure and how the ACDS resolved a number of conflicting issues. It identifies the successes within the ACDS and how these were achieved. It provides details to assist and advise those seeking to design or modify national or regional auditing programs. Finally the paper reviews potential futures for the ACDS.
Conclusion:
The raw number of audits and outcomes indicate that the ACDS has met the MoU auditing requirements. The reasons for the ACDS’ success are highly dependent on: attracting quality staff who can respond with agility to changing situations, a high level of communication with the professional community, a high level of engagement by the community and an interested and engaged Federal Department.
Funding Support, Disclosures, and Conflict of Interest: The Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service is a joint initiative between the Australian Department of Health and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.
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