Attitudes and access to resources and strategies to improve quality of radiotherapy among US radiation oncologists: A mixed methods study.
J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol
; 66(7): 993-1002, 2022 Oct.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35650174
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
We aimed to assess contouring-related practices among US radiation oncologists and explore how access to and use of resources and quality improvement strategies vary based on individual- and organization-level factors.METHODS:
We conducted a mixed methods study with a sequential explanatory design. Surveys were emailed to a random 10% sample of practicing US radiation oncologists. Participating physicians were invited to a semi-structured interview. Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and a multivariable regression model were used to evaluate associations. Interview data were coded using thematic content analysis.RESULTS:
Survey overall response rate was 24%, and subsequent completion rate was 97%. Contouring-related questions arise in ≥50% of clinical cases among 73% of respondents. Resources accessed first include published atlases (75%) followed by consulting another radiation oncologist (60%). Generalists access consensus guidelines more often than disease-site specialists (P = 0.04), while eContour.org is more often used by generalists (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.2-14.8) and younger physicians (OR 1.33 for each 5-year increase, 95% CI 1.08-1.67). Common physician-reported barriers to optimizing contour quality are time constraints (58%) and lack of access to disease-site specialists (21%). Forty percent (40%, n = 14) of physicians without access to disease-site specialists indicated it could facilitate the adoption of new treatments. Almost all (97%) respondents have formal peer review, but only 43% have contour-specific review, which is more common in academic centres (P = 0.02).CONCLUSION:
Potential opportunities to improve radiation contour quality include improved access to disease-site specialists and contour-specific peer review. Physician time must be considered when designing new strategies.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Oncología por Radiación
/
Oncólogos de Radiación
Tipo de estudio:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol
Asunto de la revista:
DIAGNOSTICO POR IMAGEM
/
NEOPLASIAS
/
RADIOLOGIA
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos