The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) has provided financial support to a national patient safety initiative sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM).
The program -- RO-ILS: Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System -- is designed to facilitate safer and higher-quality radiation oncology by providing a mechanism for shared learning in a secure and nonpunitive environment, according to ASTRO. Radiation oncology centers can record nonpatient-specific data on a web portal about safety events, including incidents, near misses, and operational process improvement suggestions related to radiation therapy, the society said.
Launched in 2014, the initiative has received more than 5,300 events from 425 radiation therapy facilities in 47 states, according to ASTRO. After being aggregated, analyzed, and interpreted by the Clarity patient safety organization and the Radiation Oncology Healthcare Advisory Council, the data serve as the basis of educational reports for improving safety and patient care in radiation oncology.
