Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety Considerations in Low-Resource Settings: A Medical Physics Perspective.
The past few years have seen a significant growth of interest in the global radiation therapy (RT) crisis. Various organizations have quantified the need and are providing aid in support of addressing the shortfalls existing in many low-to-middle income countries. With the tremendous demand for new facilities, equipment, and personnel, it is very important to recognize the quality and safety challenges and to address them directly. An examination of publications on quality and safety in RT indicates a consistency in a number of the recommendations; however, these authoritative reports were generally based on input from high-resourced contexts. Here, we review these recommendations with a special emphasis on issues that are significant in low-to-middle income countries. Although multidimensional, training, and staffing are top priorities, any support provided to lower-resourced settings must address the numerous facets associated with quality and safety indicators. Strong partnerships between high income and other countries will enhance the development of safe and resource-appropriate strategies for advancing the radiation treatment process. The real challenge is the engagement of a strong spirit of cooperation, collaboration, and communication among the multiple organizations in support of reducing the cancer divide and improving the provision of safe and effective RT.
Departments of Oncology and Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: vandyk@uwo.ca.
Jacob
J
Van Dyk
Dosimetry and Medical Radiation Physics Section, Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria.
Ahmed
A
Meghzifene
D003906:Developing Countries; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D010825:Physics; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D012449:Safety