Introducing a computerized record and verify system: its impact on the reduction of treatment errors.

A survey of treatment errors has been conducted over a period of several months before and after the introduction of a CMS computerized record and verify system for radiation treatments administered on a Varian CL-1800 accelerator. It was found that treatment errors could be reduced considerably. However, some errors were also caused by wrong data entry into the system. In two instances, errors were detected only through the record and verify system; they had escaped all previous chart checks and would never have been found otherwise. The impact of the computerized record and verify system is analyzed with regard to improved treatment delivery, reception by technologists, and treatment documentation.