Audit Title: The radiotherapy planning process, including pre-planning arrangements

Descriptor: Radiotherapy planning process is a key part of patient management, and is a stage that must be completed efficiently in order for patients to proceed with treatment.

Background:

This audit is worth carrying out because the radiotherapy planning process is a key part of patient management, and is a stage that must be completed efficiently in order for patients to proceed with treatment. Technical developments in radiotherapy have increased very rapidly over recent years, resulting in the process of radiotherapy planning changing significantly.
The pre-planning meeting generally takes place between selected members of the medical and radiographic staff, to ensure that all necessary information will be available at the planning process, including diagnosis, pathological confirmation, site to be treated, and relevant scans.

The cycle:

THE STANDARD

Radiotherapy planning is a key component of departmental work and should proceed smoothly, without unnecessary delay or obstacles. All necessary material (eg, X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans, image registration confirmation of histopathology) should be available as required.

National Local

Target

Complete data available on 100% of occasions.

LOCAL PRACTICE WAS ASSESSED AS FOLLOWS

• The indicator(s)

• Data items collected

• Number of patients / cases / episodes

SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGE IF TARGET NOT MET

The Resources Used …

THE DATA was collected by ...

ÿ Computer records ÿ Review of requests ÿ Other (specify)

ÿ Review of images ÿ Ongoing data recording

ÿ Review of reports ÿ Questionnaire

ASSISTANCE

ÿ None ÿ Data analysis ÿ Other (specify)

ÿ Secretarial ÿ Software (off shelf)

ÿ Audit office ÿ Software (customised)

ÿ Medical records ÿ Clinical professionals

TIME to help complete stages 1–3 of the first cycle

R A D I O L O G I S T R A D I O G R A P H E R O T H E R ( s p e c i f y )

Approx _____ hrs per week Approx _____ hrs per week Approx _____ hrs per week

for _____ weeks for _____ weeks for _____ weeks

= total _____ hours = total _____ hours = total _____ hours

COSTS (stages 1–3 of the cycle) apart from radiologists’ / radiographers’ time

ÿ None/minimal ÿ Other (specify) Stages 1–3 of the first cycle

£

ÿ Temporary staff

ÿ Information technology

Results of the Completed Cycle…

• Local practice was re-assessed ____________ months after the changes were introduced

• Date of re-assessment

• Data items collected

• Assistance obtained from

• 

  £

  Costs (stages 5–6) of the re-audit (not including the cost of the changes)

Comparison of findings …

(a) with the standard, shows that ...

(b) with the previous audit findings, shows that ...

(c) indicates that an improvement on the previous audit findings has occurred ÿ Yes ÿ No

A Further Audit will Occur …

in months to start (date)

Useful References …

1. Royal College of Radiologists. Guidance on the Structure and Function of Cancer Centres. BFCO(96)1. London: RCR, 1996.
2. Royal College of Radiologists. Equipment, Workload and Staffing for Radiotherapy in the UK 1992–1997. BFCO(98)2.London: RCR, 1998.
3. Clinical Oncology Information Network. Guidelines for external beam radiotherapy. Clin Onc 1999; 11: S135–S172.
4. Royal College of Radiologists. Development and implementation of conformal radiotherapy in the United Kingdom. London:RCR;2002
5. Royal College of Radiologists. Imaging for oncology: collaboration between clinical radiologists and clinical oncologists in diagnosis, staging and radiotherapy planning. London: RCR; 2004
6. S Jefferies, A Taylor, R Reznek, the radiotherapy Planning Working Party. Results of a National Survey of Radiotherapy Planning and Delivery in the UK in 2007. clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2009;21:204-217

The Audit was carried out by …

Stages 1–4 Stages 5–6

Hospital

Address Telephone No:

Fax No:

A Copy of this form has been …

ÿ placed in the Department’s Audit File

ÿ sent to the Hospital’s Audit Office

ÿ sent to the Clinical Audit Unit at the RCR

Appendix …

Further information (audit design / questionnaire / analysis of results / introduction of change)

is included as follows ...

© The Royal College of Radiologists 2013