A Review of Cherenkov Imaging for Real-Time Verification in Radiation Therapy.

Patient Safety: Grantmakers Join The Effort To Reduce Medical Errors

Cherenkov Imaging to Verify Radiation Treatment Delivery in Breast Cancer

Measuring safety culture: Application of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture to radiation therapy departments worldwide

The aim of this systematic review is to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of transition interventions to safeguard patient safety and satisfaction during patients' transition from hospital to home health care. Systematic review. MEDLINE, Ovid Nursing Database, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Clinical Trials and SveMed+ was systematic searched in January 2019 and September 2020 to identify peer-reviewed papers. No language, geographical or publication date restrictions. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used. Data analysis focused on aggregated data and a descriptive synthesis. Risk of bias was rated using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. In total, 10,524 references were identified in the literature search, twenty-six articles were included. The interventions were divided into three main groups: (i). systematic patient education pre-discharge; (ii). establishment of contact with the local healthcare services pre-discharge and (iii). follow-up initiated by nurses from the hospital at home post-discharge. The studies either used one intervention or combined two or three interventions. We considered the intervention to improve patient safety or satisfaction when they reported statistically significant results. Only four interventions increased both patient safety and satisfaction, seven interventions increased patient safety and thirteen increased patient satisfaction. Interventions that appear to be quite similar, with the same duration, measured different effects on patients' satisfaction and safety. Interventions that ensured patient safety did not necessarily facilitate patient satisfaction and vice versa. Interventions can improve patient safety and satisfaction during transfer. However, interventions that improve patient safety or satisfaction do not always match. This review suggests that transition interventions can improve patients' safety and satisfaction. However, to compare the impact of future interventions is it important to use standardized measurement tools of satisfaction. There is a need to try out tailored interventions, where interventions are customized to the needs of each patient.

Artificial general intelligence for radiation oncology

Quality assurance (QA) of clinical electron beams is essential for performing accurate and safe radiation therapy. However, with advances in radiation therapy, QA has become increasingly labor-intensive and time-consuming. In this paper, we propose a tissue-equivalent plastic scintillator for quick and easy QA of clinical electron beams. The proposed tool comprises a plastic scintillator plate and a charge-coupled device camera that enable the scintillation light by electron beams to be recorded with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution. Further, the Cerenkov image is directly subtracted from the scintillation image to discriminate Cerenkov emissions and accurately measure the dose profiles of electron beams with high spatial resolution. Compared with conventional methods, discrepancies in the depth profile improved from 7% to 2% in the buildup region via subtractive corrections. Further, the output brightness showed good linearity with dose, good reproducibility (deviations below 1%), and dose rate independence (within 0.5%). The depth of 50% dose measured with the tool, an index of electron beam quality, was within ±0.5 mm of that obtained with an ionization chamber. Lateral brightness profiles agreed with the lateral dose profiles to within 4% and no significant improvement was obtained using Cerenkov corrections. Field size agreed to within 0.5 mm with those obtained with ionization chamber. For clinical QA of electron boost treatment, a disk scintillator that mimics the shape of a patient’s breast is applied. The brightness distribution and dose, calculated using a treatment planning system, was generally acceptable for clinical use, except in limited zones. Overall, the proposed plastic scintillator plate tool efficiently performs QA for electron beam therapy and enables simultaneous verification of output constancy, beam quality, depth, and lateral dose profiles during monthly QAs at lower doses of irradiation (small monitor units, MUs).

Background: Effective communication is one of the important factors in improving patient safety in hospitals. The SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) communication method has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a tool to convey clear and structured clinical information among health workers. Purpose: To determine the effectiveness, impact, and challenges of implementing SBAR communication in the implementation of patient safety. Method: A literature review design. The databases used include Google Scholar, Science Direct, Pubmed, and Semantic Scholar. English keywords employed are "patient safety", "SBAR", and "Communication". Articles were included if they involved nurses in hospitals or health profession students, with no limit on sample size, and encompassed experimental, quantitative, and qualitative research. Only full-text articles in Indonesian or English published in the last 5 years (2019-2023) were considered. Article selection followed PRISMA guidelines. Results: Based on the search results, 18 articles met the inclusion criteria. The analysis identified three main topics: the effectiveness of SBAR training and education in enhancing communication skills and patient safety among nurses, and strategies to boost adherence and consistency in SBAR implementation. Overall, the use of SBAR communication has been shown to enhance communication, decrease errors, increase job satisfaction, and strengthen the safety culture among healthcare workers. Conclusion: The use of SBAR communication has demonstrated significant effectiveness and impact on patient safety in hospitals. However, to maximize the benefits of SBAR, it is crucial to provide consistent support, standardized training, and continuous evaluation to ensure its successful implementation in the healthcare setting.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and covid-19 diffusion are an international public health emergency.1 Cancer patients are particularly exposed to infections and their potential complications.2 In this context, the usual clinical decision-making process in radiation therapy is being consistently revised.3 There is an urgent need to share expertise and offer emergency guidance. It is crucial to minimise contacts and to reduce the complexity of radiation treatments where possible to optimise the workforce, keeping intact the effectiveness of the interventions.4 Radiation and systemic therapy modifications should be implemented depending on local circumstances.5 A general guiding principle should include approaches where clinical equivalence supported by trials testing de-escalation strategies is present even without level 1–2 evidence (box 1, bullet points 1).3 Patients with cancer have an intrinsic degree of frailty and therefore are prone to covid-19 complications. Age and comorbidities have been reported as independent risk factors for poor outcome during covid-19 infection and, of note, more than half of cancer patients are elderly and have significant comorbidities (box 1, bullet points 2).6 Hence, an appropriate evaluation of the risk-benefit of radiation therapy treatments is cogent. Urgent cases and non-deferrable treatments (ie, active tumours, spinal cord compression, life threatening bleeding) should be initiated or continued, provided there is full compliance with the safety regulations of local authorities for both patients and staff members. In non-urgent cases, irradiation can be postponed to an extent, depending on the clinical setting and the possibility to offer patients bridging systemic therapies. Whenever radiation therapy is indicated, dose prescription, fractionation and delivery techniques should be adapted, reduced in duration, and optimised (box 1, bullet points 3 and 4). A timely example of precision medicine application is non-metastatic breast cancer radiation …

BackgroundNational, regional and local activities to improve patient safety in Sweden have increased over the last decade. There are high ambitions for improved patient safety in Sweden. This study surveyed health care professionals who held key positions in their county council’s patient safety work to investigate their perceptions of the conditions for this work, factors they believe have been most important in reaching the current level of patient safety and factors they believe would be most important for achieving improved patient safety in the future.MethodsThe study population consisted of 218 health care professionals holding strategic positions in patient safety work in Swedish county councils. Using a questionnaire, the following topics were analysed in this study: profession/occupation; number of years involved in a designated task on patient safety issues; knowledge/overview of the county council’s patient safety work; ability to influence this work; conditions for this work; and the importance of various factors for current and future levels of patient safety.ResultsThe response rate to the questionnaire was 79%. The conditions that had the highest number of responses in complete agreement were “patients’ involvement is important for patient safety” and “patient safety work has good support from the county council’s management”. Factors that were considered most important for achieving the current level of patient safety were root cause and risk analyses, incident reporting and the Swedish Patient Safety Law. An organizational culture that encourages reporting and avoids blame was considered most important for improved patient safety in the future, closely followed by improved communication between health care practitioners and patients.ConclusionHealth care professionals with important positions in the Swedish county councils’ patient safety work believe that conditions for this work are somewhat constrained. They attribute the current levels of patient safety to a broad range of factors and believe that many different solutions can contribute to enhanced patient safety in the future, suggesting that this work must be multifactorial.

Shaping Up: Unit‐to‐Unit Handoffs with a Lean Six Sigma Work Out

Radiotherapy for invasive breast cancer in North America and Europe: Results of a survey

Development of an Inventory of Knowledge and Skills Required for the Integration of MRI in Radiation Therapy Practice: An International Modified Delphi Study

Patient safety concerns can help minimize the risk of KTD, reduce the occurrence of medical disputes, reduce conflicts between health workers and patients, reduce the lawsuits process, and dismiss allegations of malpractice which is increasing lately. The achievement of a good patient culture is done by building an understanding of the norms, beliefs, attitudes, and values that are important to nursing organizations. The systematic review of this study is aimed at identifying patient safety measures implemented by different countries to look at the effectiveness of patient safety culture in primary health care in global coverage. This research uses systematic review methods. Searching for journals was conducted in three well-known journals such as Proquest, ScienceDirect, and Scopus in the 2015-2021 publishing year. The term used is patient safety in the primary health care area and the community, as well as efforts made. Research on the database identified 7,967 articles to be filtered. After sorting and verifying the paper, data was taken from 12 papers explaining the culture of patient safety in primary health care. The articles taken have global coverage with research originating in several countries namely; Manchester, Sweden, Yemen, Lebanon, Germany, and Brazil. Characteristics of the study are grouped into the following themes: Patient safety in primary health care, and patient safety events in primary health care, Measurement of patient safety in primary health care, and Methods/ efforts to improve patient safety in primary health care. Tools that are used to measure patient safety, in general, are SAQ (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire), MOSPC (Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture), and SOPS(Survey on Patient Safety Culture). This systematic review shows that many measurements can be taken to identify patient safety culture applications. Several efforts can be made to improve patient safety application, one of the important efforts in improving patient safety is improving knowledge. Education is an important step for the best patient safety intervention efforts. One of the programs that can be useful for the development of patient safety is the CUSP (Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program) program.

Adverse events such as medication errors and staff injuries are prevalent in healthcare and contribute to patient harm and staff burnout. To enhance safety, organizations implemented the high-reliability organization (HRO) principles which aim to maintain low rates of adverse events while managing complex processes. These principles include sensitivity to operations, preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, resilience, and deference to expertise. To explore evidence on HRO implementation and its impact patient and staff safety outcomes in healthcare. A scoping review of English-language studies published from 2016 to 2025. A librarian was consulted to develop electronic search strategies. Three databases were utilized to identify the relevant studies. Inclusion criteria were studies on HRO implementation in healthcare and safety outcomes on patient or staff. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, assessed full texts, and extracted data using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) data extraction tool, with a third reviewer available to resolve disagreements. Of 3,305 studies retrieved, eleven met inclusion criteria. The studies focused on patient safety (e.g., medication errors, falls; n = 6). Two explored staff perceptions of patient safety; two assessed both staff perceptions and patient outcomes. One addressed staff safety. HRO implementation was associated with fewer adverse events, positive staff perceptions on patient safety, and improved psychological safety. Evidence suggests that HRO implementation is positively associated with improved patient safety and staff psychological safety. However, evidence on their impact on staff physical safety remains limited.

These articles are cause for celebration. They illustrate success in at least three realms: (a) developing knowledge, (b) conducting theorydriven research, and (c) expanding the methodological repertoire used to conduct research about the care environment. After a summary of the historical backdrop against which these articles should be viewed, the signs of success embedded in this constellation of papers will be highlighted. In my concluding comments, I pose questions for investigators to consider when conducting future studies of the care environment. articles published in RINAH over the past year deserves to be celebrated as a sign of success in advancing our knowledge about the care environment and the growing interest in N-HSR. These papers also serve as a foundation for posing questions that could advance N-HSR in the future.