Quality of radiotherapy services in post-Soviet countries: An IAEA survey.

Background: The quality of radiotherapy services in post-Soviet countries has not yet been studied following a formal methodology. The IAEA conducted a survey using two sets of validated radiation oncology quality indicators (ROIs).

Methods: Eleven post-Soviet countries were assessed. A coordinator was designated for each country and acted as the liaison between the country and the IAEA. The methodology was a one-time cross-sectional survey using a 58-question tool in Russian. The questionnaire was based on two validated sets of ROIs: for radiotherapy centres, the indicators proposed by Cionini et al., and for data at the country level, the Australasian ROIs.

Results: The overall response ratio was 66.3%, but for the Russian Federation, it was 24%. Data were updated on radiotherapy infrastructure and equipment. 256 radiotherapy centres are operating 275 linear accelerators and 337 Cobalt-60 units. 61% of teletherapy machines are older than ten years. Analysis of ROIs revealed significant differences between these countries and radiotherapy practices in the West. Naming, task profile and education programmes of radiotherapy professionals are different than in the West.

Conclusions: Most countries need modernization of their radiotherapy infrastructure coupled with adequate staffing numbers and updated education programmes focusing on evidence-based medicine, quality, and safety.