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WE‐C‐AUD A‐03: Using Risk Analysis to Develop QM Procedures for High Dose‐Rate Brachytherapy
Author(s) -
Thomadsen B
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.2962686
Subject(s) - brachytherapy , quality assurance , risk analysis (engineering) , guard (computer science) , medical physics , risk management , medical physicist , computer science , operations management , medicine , engineering , radiation therapy , business , surgery , external quality assessment , finance , programming language
Quality management in brachytherapy can become very time‐consuming, performing checks on everything that can be checked. Some of the commonly performed brachytherapy quality assurance measures provide little utility, while some apparently comprehensive programs may leave patients at risk. The most efficient use of time would concentrate resources where the risk of errors is the greatest. Risk analysis can help a practicing medical physicist assess the aspects of the procedure with the greatest risk and focus control measures to guard those steps, and possibly eliminate efforts with little payoff. This presentation presents examples of using risk analysis to guide the development of a quality management program in brachytherapy. Educational Objectives: 1. To understand the nature of risk analysis. 2. To see how risk analysis can assist in developing a brachytherapy quality management program.