The Canadian partnership for quality radiotherapy: A model for radiation treatment quality and safety.

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 266-266
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Quoc Cao ◽  
Jean-Pierre Bissonnette ◽  
Michael Donald Brundage ◽  
Peter Dunscombe ◽  
John French ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Treatment ◽  
Medical Physics ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Canadian Association ◽  
National Quality ◽  
And Shifts

266 Background: Innovative, overarching national, and international strategies for the assurance of safe and high quality radiation treatment (RT) are needed, given the rate of technologic innovation and shifts in traditional roles associated with RT planning and delivery. Methods: The Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy (CPQR) was created as an interprofessional alliance of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO), Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP), Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) and Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), aimed at developing and promoting coordinated national strategies for high quality and safe RT. Results: A steering committee of national leaders from each profession and content experts in RT quality and safety was created, with financial and strategic backing provided by the federal government through CPAC. The vision and strategy were communicated broadly to the RT treatment community and to other stakeholders provincially, nationally, and internationally. ‘Quality Assurance Guidance for Canadian Radiation Treatment Programs’ was published online in April 2011 and empowered programs across the country to evaluate their internal procedures against these indicators. This document was downloaded over 875 times in the first 6 months, a measure of the demand and broad uptake in Canada and internationally. This early success has fostered other foci of activity, including engagement by the Canadian medical physics community around synthesis of detailed quality control guidelines for equipment, a dialogue about national incident reporting, and support from international partners in relation to collaborative programs. The goal is to incorporate RT quality and safety indicators into national accreditation programs for cancer care to assure long-term sustainability. Conclusions: CPQR has established a model for quality and safety that is fostering the evolution of a new national quality culture. This model is applicable to other jurisdictions, recognizing that a coordinated international approach to setting guidelines and standards will ultimately lead to higher quality and safer RT on a global scale.

Communities of practice: A jurisdictional approach to improving the quality of care in radiation medicine in Ontario.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 122-122
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lockhart ◽  
Michelle Ang ◽  
Lindsay Elizabeth Reddeman ◽  
Michael Sharpe ◽  
Margaret Hart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Radiation Treatment ◽  
Medical Physics ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Radiation Medicine

122 Background: The Radiation Treatment Program (RTP) at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) established several Communities of Practice (CoPs), with the goal of improving radiation treatment (RT) quality and safety. The RTP identifies variation in practice and quality improvement (QI) opportunities in the 14 Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs) and facilitates the development of CoPs to share best practices and standardize care. Methods: Since 2010, the RTP has formed 7 CoPs ( > 185 members in total): 4 intra-disciplinary (Radiation Therapy, Medical Physics, Advanced Practice Radiation Therapy, Radiation Safety) and 3 inter-disciplinary (Head and Neck (HN), Gynecological (GYNE) and Lung Cancer). Members are recruited with the aim of securing engagement from all RCCs to ensure representation of regional diversity and to facilitate adoption of best practices. CoPs are supported with nominal funding and resources provided by CCO, but are led and driven by members, who identify and prioritize key quality issues and select corresponding QI projects to pursue. The RTP performs regular evaluation activities to assess initiative engagement and impact. Results: RTP CoPs have enhanced the quality and safety of RT delivery in Ontario through QI initiatives, advice documents and tools that have enabled: Improved RT safety (use of safety straps in RT delivery); Adoption of best practices (RT plan evaluation guidance); Education and knowledge transfer – (stereotactic body RT implementation and training framework); and Support for infrastructure improvements (recommendation for additional Magnetic Resonance-guided brachytherapy units) ( https://www.cancercare.on.ca/ocs/clinicalprogs/radiationtreatment/ ). Advice documents have improved alignment with recommended practice (40% and 50% absolute increases in two HN initiatives). Evaluation surveys indicate that members believe the CoPs have enhanced inter-regional communication and collaboration (89%), knowledge transfer/exchange (91%), and professional networking between RCCs (92%). Conclusions: CoPs can be a highly effective model for improving quality of care. The establishment of CoPs should be considered for QI in other areas of the healthcare system.

scholarly journals Analysis of NQI technology integration and application status of building sanitary ceramics industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 185 ◽  
pp. 02031
Author(s):  
Tan Yibing
Keyword(s):  
Technology Integration ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Evaluation Standard ◽  
Technology System ◽  
National Quality ◽  
The Status ◽  
Certification And Accreditation ◽  
Ceramics Industry

Based on the National Quality (National Quality Infrastructure, NQI) theoretical connotation as the instruction, this paper analyzes the domestic building sanitary ceramics industry key generic NQI technology integration and application of the status quo, the results show that the current domestic building sanitary ceramics industry NQI key generic technology integration and application level is not high, it is difficult to meet the demand of industry transformation and upgrading of the green, in urgent need of research to support green building sanitary ceramics industry upgrade of key generic NQI technology,to form a scientific and rational green building sanitary ceramics key testing equipment measuring standard, high quality green building sanitary ceramics standards, certification evaluation standard, and green standards in key areas (energy saving, water saving, low carbon), implementation contains measuring, testing, standards, certification and accreditation whole chain NQI technology system and carry out application demonstration, to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of domestic green building sanitary ceramics industry form the standard support and high quality development.

scholarly journals Pediatric-Specific End-of-Life Care Quality Measures: An Unmet Need of a Vulnerable Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. e874-e880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily E. Johnston ◽  
Abby R. Rosenberg ◽  
Arif H. Kamal
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Quality Measures ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Patient Choice ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hospital Death ◽  
Life Care ◽  
High Quality ◽  
National Quality

We must ensure that the 20,000 US children (age 0 to 19 years) who die as a result of serious illness annually receive high-quality end-of-life care. Ensuring high-quality end-of-life care requires recognition that pediatric end-of-life care is conceptually and operationally different than that for adults. For example, in-hospital adult death is considered an outcome to be avoided, whereas many pediatric families may prefer hospital death. Because pediatric deaths are comparatively rare, not all centers offer pediatric-focused palliative care and hospice services. The unique psychosocial issues facing families who are losing a child include challenges for parent decision makers and young siblings. Furthermore, the focus on advance directive documentation in adult care may be less relevant in pediatrics because parental decision makers are available. Health care quality measures provide a framework for tracking the care provided and aid in agency and provider accountability, reimbursement, and educated patient choice for location of care. The National Quality Forum, Joint Commission, and other groups have developed several end-of-life measures. However, none of the current quality measures focus on the unique needs of dying pediatric patients and their caregivers. To evolve the existing infrastructure to better measure and report quality pediatric end-of-life care, we propose two changes. First, we outline how existing adult quality measures may be modified to better address pediatric end-of-life care. Second, we suggest the formation of a pediatric quality measure end-of-life task force. These are the next steps to evolving end-of-life quality measures to better fit the needs of seriously ill children.

scholarly journals The Emergence of Artificial Intelligence within Radiation Oncology Treatment Planning

Oncology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Tucker J. Netherton ◽  
Carlos E. Cardenas ◽  
Dong Joo Rhee ◽  
Laurence E. Court ◽  
Beth M. Beadle
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Treatment Planning ◽  
Radiation Oncology ◽  
Radiation Treatment ◽  
Medical Physics ◽  
External Beam Radiotherapy ◽  
Radiation Treatment Planning ◽  
Planning Team ◽  
The Future

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The future of artificial intelligence (AI) heralds unprecedented change for the field of radiation oncology. Commercial vendors and academic institutions have created AI tools for radiation oncology, but such tools have not yet been widely adopted into clinical practice. In addition, numerous discussions have prompted careful thoughts about AI’s impact upon the future landscape of radiation oncology: How can we preserve innovation, creativity, and patient safety? When will AI-based tools be widely adopted into the clinic? Will the need for clinical staff be reduced? How will these devices and tools be developed and regulated? <b><i>Summary:</i></b> In this work, we examine how deep learning, a rapidly emerging subset of AI, fits into the broader historical context of advancements made in radiation oncology and medical physics. In addition, we examine a representative set of deep learning-based tools that are being made available for use in external beam radiotherapy treatment planning and how these deep learning-based tools and other AI-based tools will impact members of the radiation treatment planning team. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> Compared to past transformative innovations explored in this article, such as the Monte Carlo method or intensity-modulated radiotherapy, the development and adoption of deep learning-based tools is occurring at faster rates and promises to transform practices of the radiation treatment planning team. However, accessibility to these tools will be determined by each clinic’s access to the internet, web-based solutions, or high-performance computing hardware. As seen by the trends exhibited by many technologies, high dependence on new technology can result in harm should the product fail in an unexpected manner, be misused by the operator, or if the mitigation to an expected failure is not adequate. Thus, the need for developers and researchers to rigorously validate deep learning-based tools, for users to understand how to operate tools appropriately, and for professional bodies to develop guidelines for their use and maintenance is essential. Given that members of the radiation treatment planning team perform many tasks that are automatable, the use of deep learning-based tools, in combination with other automated treatment planning tools, may refocus tasks performed by the treatment planning team and may potentially reduce resource-related burdens for clinics with limited resources.

scholarly journals Student Perceptions of Quality and Safety Competencies

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi A. Mennenga ◽  
Lois Tschetter ◽  
Lily Sanjaya
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Nursing Program ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Safety Education ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Senior Students

AbstractAim/Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate senior students’ level of preparedness to perform and perceived importance of 22 QSEN-related skills over a three year project period.Background: The national Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) project promotes student learning in the provision of safe, quality health care. One Midwestern nursing program attempted to address health care challenges by purposefully utilizing the QSEN competencies for curricular changes.Methods: This study collected data from students in their final semester of a baccalaureate program using the QSEN Student Evaluation Survey.Results/Findings: Students reported they were somewhat prepared to perform skills related to all six QSEN competencies. Students perceived all QSEN related skills as being as least somewhat important.Conclusions: As a result of this study, the nursing program identified areas to be developed for further growth and utilized findings to aid in curriculum revision.

Which types of reason-giving and storytelling are good for deliberation? Assessing the discussion dynamics in legislative and citizen forums

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-132
Author(s):  
Rousiley C. M. Maia ◽  
Danila Cal ◽  
Janine Bargas ◽  
Neylson J. B. Crepalde
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Responsibility ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Informal Settings ◽  
Pragmatic Dimension

AbstractReal-world political discussions usually mix reason-giving and storytelling in complex ways, but the interplay between these practices remains essentially unexamined. This article builds a theoretical argument based on a systemic approach for investigating such forms of communication in institutionally organized forums and informal settings alike. It contends that generalizations should not be made about the role of giving reasons and telling stories for good deliberation. A distinctive analytical framework is developed for examining these practices when deliberation is high quality, low quality, or changing (high to low or low to high). Drawing on data about discussions on reducing the criminal responsibility age in Brazil in legislative public hearings and face-to-face groups, the analysis uncovers variations in the structure of reasons and stories and shifts in their functions in optimal and suboptimal moments of deliberation. By incorporating the pragmatic dimension of interactions into the analysis, this paper contributes to advancing comparative analyses in different contexts.

scholarly journals 352 Grey and White Matters – Designing and Implementing an Acute Stroke Program in a level 3 Hospital

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii17-iii65
Author(s):  
Bart Daly ◽  
Richard Liston ◽  
Susan Griffin
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Acute Stroke Care ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
National Quality

Abstract Background Following the publication of the National Stroke Audit in 2015 with below the national average rates of thrombolysis – 3.3% versus 11% - there has been a number of initiatives launched to improve stroke care in this hospital. In 2018 we enrolled in the National Quality Improvement Project for the care of Patients with Acute Ischaemic Stroke run by the RCSI. A stroke steering committee was established consisting of a multi-disciplinary group encompassing all areas of acute stroke care. Methods Acute stroke care practice and factors causing sub-optimal management were examined by the committee and compared with national standards. A ‘3 jobs’ proforma for management and communication of Fast positive cases was designed to address the difficulties identified in stroke care and tailored to the resources available in this hospital. These simplified and standardised roles for all staff members involved, many of whom were unfamiliar with the practical delivery of thrombolysis and thrombectomy. Educational sessions were initiated for all those involved in acute stroke management. The acute stroke program was implemented as a 6 month pilot before official launch in April 2019 with necessary changes assessed weekly by the stroke committee. Stroke data is continually audited with the National Stroke Register. Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in the pilot were thrombolysis/thrombectomy rates and door to needle time. Results There were 164 patients admitted to the stroke unit in 2018. In 2018 prior to this initiative, the hospital had a 3% thrombolysis rate in 2018 and a 1% thrombectomy rate. Amongst FAST positive patients during the pilot period, 10/68 patients were thombolysed (15%) and 6/68 thrombectomies (9%). Average door to needle time for patients was 96 minutes. Conclusion The redesigning of the acute stroke care program has led to significant improvements in the identified KPI’s although door to needle times remain below the national target of 30 minutes.

scholarly journals Prediction model of microbiological and organoleptic indicators of salads during storage with the processing by extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 00110
Author(s):  
Natalia Bugayets ◽  
Sergey Usatikov ◽  
Lyubov Lyubimova ◽  
Igor Tereshchenko ◽  
Azamat Shantyz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Field ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Storage Period ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Expiration Date ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Physical Methods ◽  
Extremely Low Frequency ◽  
Scientific Justification

The aim of the research is the scientific justification, development and implementation of physical methods for the protection of culinary products from microbiological damage. The effect of the electromagnetic field of extremely low frequency (EMF ELF) on the expiration date of vegetable salads was studied. The effective processing parameters of the EMF ELF treatment of vegetable vinaigrette postponed its expiration date, providing high quality and safety of dishes throughout the storage period.

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