Abstract
Purpose: To present on the commissioning of an automated brachytherapy plan checker (BPC) for the evaluation of high-dose-rate brachytherapy treatment plans in support of standardized workflows and patient safety. Methods and Materials: A BPC was developed using an applications programming interface in a commercial treatment planning system based on different inputs (e.g., regulations, professional society recommendations, and user feedback) and leveraged our experience with an in-house developed external beam plan checker. The BPC was commissioned using a comprehensive suite of test plans with known errors and anonymized clinical plans. Results: During commissioning, the BPC was successfully executed on a total of 87 test plans. Commissioning tests spanned a range of treatment sites and evaluated that pass and fail states were correct. Administration settings were changed in a nonclinical database to evaluate tests involving the source and afterloader. Clinical testing of the BPC was then performed in parallel with a manual review process before clinical implementation. Conclusions: To commission the BPC for clinical use, a comprehensive suite of test plans was developed and used to ensure the BPC correctly detected and reported errors. A summary of the test plans is presented to help guide users developing similar automated tools. The BPC represents a process-improvement initiative designed to reduce errors and improve safety for brachytherapy patients. By using a comprehensive test suite for commissioning, tests are available for periodic quality assurance and after software upgrades.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 355-361 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Brachytherapy |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2020 |
Keywords
- Applications programming interface
- Automation
- Brachytherapy
- Quality assurance