Open AccessA snapshot of radiation therapy techniques and technology in Q ueensland: An aid to mapping undergraduate curriculum
Author(s) -
Bridge Pete,
Carmichael MaryAnn,
Brady Carole,
Dry Allison
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of medical radiation sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.484
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 2051-3909
pISSN - 2051-3895
DOI - 10.1002/jmrs.5
Subject(s) - curriculum , medical physics , medicine , radiation therapy , image guided radiation therapy , radiation oncology , data collection , census , computer science , medical education , radiology , psychology , statistics , mathematics , pedagogy , population , environmental health
Undergraduate students studying the B achelor of R adiation T herapy at Q ueensland U niversity of T echnology ( QUT ) attend clinical placements in a number of department sites across Q ueensland. To ensure that the curriculum prepares students for the most common treatments and current techniques in use in these departments, a curriculum matching exercise was performed. Methods A cross‐sectional census was performed on a pre‐determined “ S napshot” date in 2012. This was undertaken by the clinical education staff in each department who used a standardized proforma to count the number of patients as well as prescription, equipment, and technique data for a list of tumour site categories. This information was combined into aggregate anonymized data. Results All 12 Q ueensland radiation therapy clinical sites participated in the S napshot data collection exercise to produce a comprehensive overview of clinical practice on the chosen day. A total of 59 different tumour sites were treated on the chosen day and as expected the most common treatment sites were prostate and breast, comprising 46% of patients treated. Data analysis also indicated that intensity‐modulated radiotherapy ( IMRT ) use is relatively high with 19.6% of patients receiving IMRT treatment on the chosen day. Both IMRT and image‐guided radiotherapy ( IGRT ) indications matched recommendations from the evidence. Conclusion The S napshot method proved to be a feasible and efficient method of gathering useful data to inform curriculum matching. Frequency of IMRT use in Q ueensland matches or possibly exceeds that indicated in the literature. It is recommended that future repetition of the study be undertaken in order to monitor trends in referral patterns and new technology implementation.