Patient Safety in Radiation Oncology

COURSE DIRECTORS: Peter Dunscombe, Tom Baker Cancer  Centre Calgary (CA), Joanne   Cunningham, St James Hospital, Trinity Centre for Health, Dublin (IRL)

TARGET GROUP: All disciplines involved in the prescription, planning and delivery of Radiation Oncology (RO).  Multidisciplinary groups from individual departments are encouraged to maximise departmental learning and implementation.

COURSE AIMS: Patient safety is the responsibility of all members of the multidisciplinary radiation oncology team.  Working with awareness and learning from past experiences can improve patient safety.  In the dynamic RO environment, risk identification techniques can be used to prospectively and retrospectively to recognise specific risks, which must be managed to ensure safety improvement. 
This workshop will equip participants with the knowledge and tool(s) for practical safety improvement in radiation oncology through lectures and small group exercises.  In particular, past incidents will be explored to learn lessons about safety critical steps in RO.  Risk identification and management techniques will be presented and explored in more detail through practical exercises.
A novel feature is the choice of practical exercises – at registration participants will choose to participate in one of three practical exercises, and during the course will work together in small groups to explore a common safety issue.   

EDUCATIONAL  PROGRAMME

09:00 – 11:00  Session I: Patient Safety in Radiation Oncology: Chairs: Peter Dunscombe and Joanne Cunningham
09:00 – 09:10  Welcome and Introduction: Dunscombe, J Cunningham
09:10 – 09:40  Accidents in RO: JM Cosset
09:40 – 10:10  Causes of accidents – Human, Technical, and Organisational: E Lartigau
10:10 – 10:35  Responding to an event – caring for the patient and the organisation: P Scalliet
10:35 – 11:00  Best practice based on recommendations for safety in Radiation Oncology: O Holmberg
11:00 – 11:30  Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00  Session II: Tools for retrospective and prospective Risk Management: Chairs: Mary Coffey and Ola Holmberg
11:30 – 12:00  Prospective analysis using Failure Modes Effects Analysis: P Reijnders-Thijssen
12:00 – 12:30  Incident investigation using root cause analysis: P Dunscombe
12:30 – 13:00  Implementing and using an incident reporting and learning system: J Cunningham, S Mutic
13:00 – 14:00  Lunch
14:00 – 15:30  Session III: Application of Risk Management tools: one practical session to be chosen
14:00 – 15:30  A. Prospective analysis using FMEA - Facilitator: P Reijnders-Thijssen
14:00 – 15:30  B. Root cause analysis for incident investigation -  Facilitator: P Dunscombe
14:00 – 15:30  C. Implementing and using an incident reporting and learning system -  Facilitators: J Cunningham, S Mutic
15:30 – 16:00  Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:00  Session IV: Feedback and Closing: Chairs: Peter Dunscombe (CA) and Joanne Cunningham (IRL)