Customizing Treatment Scheduling Windows with a Time Margin Recipe: A Single-institutional Study.
J Med Phys
; 48(2): 181-188, 2023.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37576101
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
Rising cancer incidences, complex treatment techniques, and workflows have all impacted the radiotherapy scheduling process. Intelligent appointment scheduling is needed to help radiotherapy users adapt to new practices. Materials andMethods:
We utilized van Herk's safety margin formula to determine the radiotherapy department's treatment scheduling window (TSW). In addition, we examined the influence of in-room imaging on linac occupancy time (LOT). Varian Aria™ software version 15.1 was used to collect retrospective data on LOT, treatment site, intent, techniques, special protocol, and in-room imaging.Results:
Treatment scheduling windows varied across treatment sites. The mean TSW using van Herk's formalism was 31.5 min, significantly longer than the current TSW of 15 min (P = 0.036), with the pelvic site having the longest (43.8 min) and the brain site having the shortest (12 min). 28% of patients exceeded the in-practice TSW of 15 min. 46.2% of patients had multiple images per fraction, with the proportion being highest in pelvic patients (33%). Patients treated with palliative intent, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, special protocols (bladder protocol and gating), and multiple in-room images per fraction had significantly higher LOT. High treatment time uncertainty was observed in the pelvic and thorax sites, indicating the impact of in-room imaging frequency and on-couch treatment decisions on overall treatment time and indicating that current treatment practices should be reviewed and modified if necessary.Conclusions:
The time margin recipe can customize the treatment scheduling window and improve treatment practices. This formalism can help manage the radiotherapy department's workload and reduce patient wait times.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article