A Vendor Agnostic Radiation Treatment Plan Quality Assurance Software implemented for an Integrated Health System
Abstract
Purpose
Automated chart-check tools have been shown to reduce errors and improve efficiency in radiation therapy plan reviews. However, existing solutions are typically limited to single-vendor systems. This study describes the development and evaluation of an in-house, vendor-neutral chart-check software designed for a large integrated health system operating within a mixed-vendor environment.
Methods
A software platform was created using the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) architecture to ensure modularity, maintainability, and extensibility. The system provides secure data access across multiple vendors’ record-and-verify systems, treatment planning systems, and linear accelerators. A user-friendly graphical interface enables verification of treatment sites, documents, fields, and control points, streamlining the chart-check workflow. Software performance was evaluated through two approaches: 1) Efficiency Analysis: Chart-check times for prescription and beam data review were recorded for 81 radiation treatment plans, both with and without the software. 2) User Experience Surveys: Eleven medical physicists across multiple departments completed Likert-scale questionnaires assessing usability, efficiency, and integration.
Results
Average review time decreased from 188 seconds without the software to 45 seconds with it, demonstrating a substantial efficiency improvement. Survey responses showed strong user satisfaction, with an overall effectiveness rating of 4.8/5. Approximately 91% of physicists reported saving 5–20 minutes per chart check, and 82% indicated improved patient safety. Integration with existing Record-and-Verify and Treatment Planning Systems was rated as excellent by 82% of respondents.
Conclusion
The developed vendor-neutral chart-check software significantly improves efficiency, standardization, and patient safety across diverse radiation oncology programs. Its ability to interface with multiple clinical systems makes it a valuable and scalable tool for supporting consistent and reliable verification of radiation therapy treatment plans.