Quantification of the impact of multifaceted initiatives intended to improve operational efficiency and the safety culture: a case study from an academic medical center radiation oncology department.

Purpose: We have systematically been incorporating several operational efficiency and safety initiatives into our academic radiation oncology clinic. We herein quantify the impact of these initiatives on prospectively collected, clinically meaningful, metrics.

Methods And Materials: The data from 5 quality improvement initiatives, each focused on a specific safety/process concern in our clinic, are presented.

Improving quality of patient care by improving daily practice in radiation oncology.

Radiation oncology is an ever-advancing, complex, technologically based specialty that has been thrust into the public spotlight because of recent reports of serious treatment delivery errors that have impacted the quality of patient care. Although quality assurance (QA) initiatives are already common place in radiation oncology, the continued complex technology and automation-based advances in radiotherapy have created new safety challenges. The ongoing evolution of safety challenges in radiation oncology requires corresponding evolution in workflow and QA programs to ensure the quality of patient care.