Software program to help physicians streamline peer-review for radiotherapy patients during chart rounds.
Radiation therapy is the application of high energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Any deviation from appropriate use of radiation therapy can create a risk for the patient and potential lawsuit against the healthcare provider. The current method for peer review of clinical decision making and quality assurance of treatment plans to be delivered to the patient is accomplished through a manual weekly chart review for each patient’s treatment record. Because these reviews are both labor intensive and inefficient, they may delay the detection of a potential treatment error. Automating and streamlining the review of radiotherapy patient chart rounds could reduce risk to patient health, costs, and legal claims.
Physicians at Emory University have developed a software system for automating patient chart checks and streamlining the peer-review process. The software allows streamlined review of documentations, multimodality image registration, target volumes and dose data. Additionally, it employs advanced artificial intelligence modules to check the prescription, structures and dosimetric indices against inaccuracies. Plan metrics are checked automatically against the prescription to flag inaccuracies. The software learns from existing, approved segmentations, which are used to determine and validate personalized treatment plans for patients. This software serves as a quality assurance platform that streamlines the chart rounds review process and provides standardized care to patients.
The software has been used at Emory University since 2016.