title: [Department and patient management in radiotherapy. The Freiburg model].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The activities in radiotherapy are mainly affected by numerous partly very complex operational procedures which have to be completed while high safety requirements have to be fulfilled. This fact and steadily increasing economic pressure are forcing us to develop new strategies which help us to optimize our operational procedures and assure their reliability. As there are not so many radiotherapeutic institutions and the main focus, up to now, was mainly stressed on the acceleration systems (radiation planning, acceleration control), only few industrial systems are available which could also support the economic, organizational and administrative needs of radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  During the building operations for the "new clinic for radiotherapy" at the University Hospital Freiburg, Germany, the staff of the clinical and administrative information and the medical physicists developed, in close cooperation with the physicians, a comprehensive concept to control and organize a radiotherapeutic institution. This concept was examined during the construction phase of the new clinic and the adjoined HBFG ("Hochschulbauförderungsgesetz") process by the "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft" and financed totally by federal funds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The precondition for the goal to operate a homogeneous and comprehensive management of a clinic for radiotherapy was the direct connection of the acceleration area with the organizational/administrative surrounding. The thus developed common basic dates and consistence created transparency and allowed us for the first time to control all operational procedures by EDV-technical means. After 2 years full-time operation and implementation of numerous particular projects we are now ready for film- and paperless digital work.
authors.affiliation: Funktionsbereich Klinische und Administrative Informatik, Universitätsklinik für Strahlenheilkunde, Freiburg, Deutschland. Felix.Heinemann@uniklinik-freiburg.de
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Röhner
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmucker
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruggmoser
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Henne
authors.forename: Anca-Ligia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Grosu
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frommhold