title: Quality indicators in radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a widespread and increasing tendency to develop hospital performance indicators in the field of accreditation/certification systems and quality benchmarking. A study has been undertaken to develop a set of performance indicators for a typical radiotherapy Centre and to evaluate their ability to provide a continuous quality improvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  A working group consisting of radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation technologists under the coordination of experts in health technology assessment has elaborated a set of general indicators able to monitor performances and the quality level of a typical radiotherapy Centre. The work has been carried out through four steps: a preliminary set of indicators was selected; data on these indicators were collected in a number of Italian radiotherapy Centres and medical physics Services; problems in collection and analysis of data were discussed; a final set of indicators was developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A final set of 13 indicators is here presented. They concern general structural and/or operational features, health physics activities and accuracy and technical complexity of the treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The indicators tested in a few Italian Centres of radiotherapy and medical physics Services are now ready to be utilized by a larger community.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Oncologia, Az. Ospedaliera Pisana-Università degli Studi, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cionini
authors.forename: Gianstefano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gardani
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gabriele
authors.forename: Secondo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Magri
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Morosini
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosi
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viti
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000592:standards*