University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Carl Nelson, Lori Ann Roy, H. James Wallace
Background: The Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS) was initiated nationally June 2014 and is free, web-based, and currently used in more than 425 U.S. radiation facilities. RO-ILS was implemented at University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) in October 2016 to facilitate safer, higher quality care. This implementation of RO-ILS was reviewed in order to determine whether the conversion to a new reporting system at UVMMC impacted radiation incident reporting at our institution. Methods: Radiation safety reporting at UVMMC included radiation incidents submitted by radiation therapists, dosimetrists and medical physics. Prior to RO-ILS, safety/quality incidents were submitted via a specified reporting form and submissions were reviewed monthly by the Radiation Oncology Quality Committee. After implementation of RO-ILS, radiation safety incidents were entered in RO-ILS and reviewed by the UVMMC RO-ILS administrator. Radiation incidents reported prior to October 2016 were entered into RO-ILS with the initial safety incident date. Results: Between April 2014 and May 2018, 136 radiation safety incidents were reported. There was a median of 7 incidents reported per quarter, decreasing from 8 to 6 per quarter after RO-ILS was implemented. Similarly, the average incidents per quarter was 8 and decreased from 8.9 to 6.7 per quarter after RO-ILS was implemented. Radiation incident types reported prior to RO-ILS were 78% “Near Miss” events but after RO-ILS decreased to 34%, while “Operational/Process Improvement” incidents increased from 17% pre RO-ILS to 49% post RO-ILS. The rate of radiation incidents reported per new patient starting radiation (the most frequent process associated with reported radiation incidents) was 0.59% and showed no significant trends or shifts before or after implementation of RO-ILS. Conclusions: Following implementation of RO-ILS at UVMMC, reported radiation incidents per quarter and the proportion of “Near Miss” events decreased, while the percentage of “Process Improvement” submissions increased. Further training and awareness of RO-ILS is planned with the goal of increasing staff participation and more robust reporting.
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