Quality assurance of dose management systems.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dose management systems (DMS's) have been widely used for radiation dose data collection and analysis, and have been proven useful for optimization. Although DMS's are used for patient dosimetry, a quality assurance (QA) program has not yet been developed. The aim of this work was to propose vendor neutral quality tests and discuss how QA can be established for DMS's to ensure robustness and quality of patient dose data. MATERIALS & METHODS: Different DMS's functions were organized in three groups according to their complexity. As basic functions, we defined those that depend on simple data collection and require data verification. Intermediate functions provide calculations such as effective dose or higher dose alerts, while the advanced group aims to address complicated analyses, such as peak skin dose calculations. RESULTS: An Excel file was developed that includes quality tests on basic and intermediate functions for different modalities (radiography, interventional radiology, CT and mammography) and is provided as Annex. For advanced functionalities, tests are discussed to guide medical physics experts to design their QA program as appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: The QA program is intended to ensure the trustworthy functioning for applications in normal circumstances and patient outliers. As DMS's are systems with regular upgrades, the associated QA program should be a dynamic process that takes into account the functionalities of the DMS and its application in the clinics. Medical physics experts should ensure the safety and accuracy of DMS's, as an essential component in patient dosimetry - part of their mission.