Human Error Bowtie Analysis to Enhance Patient Safety in Radiation Oncology.

Purpose: Ensuring safety within RT is of paramount importance. To further support and augment patient safety efforts, the purpose of this research was to test and refine a robust methodology for analyzing human errors that defeat individual controls within RT quality assurance (QA) programs.

Methods: The method proposed for performing Bowtie Analysis (BTA) was based on training and recommendations from practitioners in the field of Human Factors and Ergonomics practice.

Predicting Radiation Therapy Process Reliability Using Voluntary Incident Learning System Data.

Purpose: This study aimed to present an innovative approach to quantify, visualize, and predict radiation therapy (RT) process reliability using data captured from a voluntary incident learning system, with an overall aim to improve patient safety outcomes.

Methods And Materials: We analyzed 111 reported deviations that were tripped and caught within 159 mapped RT process steps included within 7 major stages of RT delivery, 94 of which were any type of quality assurance (QA) controls. This allowed for us to compute the trip rate and fail-to-catch-rate (FCR) per each QA control with the available data.

Primary cilia are sensors of electrical field stimulation to induce osteogenesis of human adipose-derived stem cells.

In this study, we report for the first time that the primary cilium acts as a crucial sensor for electrical field stimulation (EFS)-enhanced osteogenic response in osteoprogenitor cells. In addition, primary cilia seem to functionally modulate effects of EFS-induced cellular calcium oscillations. Primary cilia are organelles that have recently been implicated to play a crucial sensor role for many mechanical and chemical stimuli on stem cells.

Integrating Lean Exploration Loops Into Healthcare Facility Design.

Purpose: To explore how Lean can add value during the schematic phase of design through providing additional resources and support to project leadership and the architectural design team.

Background: This case study-based research took place at one large academic hospital during design efforts of surgical tower to house 19 operating rooms (ORs) and support spaces including pre- and post-op, central processing and distribution, and materials management. Surgical services project leadership asked for Lean practitioners' support during the design process.

Incidence of invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ in a screening program by age: should older women continue screening?

Objective: The evidence for the effectiveness of screening is strongest for women ages 50 to 69 years; however, there is variation in the target age group for screening programs between different countries. In particular, there is uncertainty over whether women should continue screening once they reach age 70. We therefore investigated incidence rates for invasive and in situ breast cancer by age as well as prognostic features of tumors within a screening program.

Duration of hormone replacement therapy, breast tumour size and grade in a screening programme.

Unlabelled: One of the primary adverse effects of long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a modest increase in the risk of breast cancer. Breast tumours that develop in women using HRT have been shown to have prognostically favourable histological features but it is unclear if this is the case for both short- and long-term use.

Methods: We evaluated the association between HRT use with tumour size and histologic grade in a cohort of women aged over 55 years (n = 2200) diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at subsequent screen in BreastScreen Victoria (BSV), Australia between 1993 and 2000.