On request, the IAEA performs comprehensive audits of radiotherapy programmes to assess the whole process, including aspects such as organization, infrastructure and clinical and medical physics components. The objective of a comprehensive clinical audit is to review and evaluate the quality of all components of the practice of radiotherapy at the institution, including its professional competence, with a view to quality improvement. A multidisciplinary team, known as Quality Assurance Team in Radiation Oncology (QUATRO), comprising a radiation oncologist. a medical physicist and a radiation therapist, are required to carry out the audit. The present publication provides revisions of the QUATRO guidelines published in 2007, by incorporating new procedures relevant to newer technologies and modalities that have become routinely used in radiotherapy centres in the interim period.

This volume, developed by the Observatory together with OECD, provides an overall conceptual framework for understanding and applying strategies aimed at improving quality of care. Crucially, it summarizes available evidence on different quality strategies and provides recommendations for their implementation. This book is intended to help policy-makers to understand concepts of quality and to support them to evaluate single strategies and combinations of strategies.

On request, the IAEA performs comprehensive audits of radiotherapy programmes to assess the whole process, including aspects such as organization, infrastructure and clinical and medical physics components. The objective of a comprehensive clinical audit is to review and evaluate the quality of all components of the practice of radiotherapy at the institution, including its professional competence, with a view to quality improvement. A multidisciplinary team, known as Quality Assurance Team in Radiation Oncology (QUATRO), comprising a radiation oncologist. a medical physicist and a radiation therapist, are required to carry out the audit. The present publication provides revisions of the QUATRO guidelines published in 2007, by incorporating new procedures relevant to newer technologies and modalities that have become routinely used in radiotherapy centres in the interim period.

The objective of a comprehensive clinical audit is to review and evaluate the quality of all components of the practice of radiotherapy at a cancer centre, with a view to quality improvement. The present guidelines provide an audit methodology for multidisciplinary expert teams to initiate, perform and report on such audits. These guidelines have already been field tested by IAEA teams in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Quality management systems are essential and should be maintained with the intent to continuously improve effectiveness and efficiency, enabling nuclear medicine to achieve the expectations of its quality policy, satisfy its customers and improve professionalism. The quality management (QM) audit methodology in nuclear medicine practice, introduced in this publication, is designed to be applied to a variety of economic circumstances. A key outcome is a culture of reviewing all processes of the clinical service for continuous improvement in nuclear medicine practice. Regular quality audits and assessments are vital for modern nuclear medicine services. More importantly, the entire QM and audit process has to be systematic, patient oriented and outcome based. The management of services should also take into account the diversity of nuclear medicine services around the world and multidisciplinary contributions. The latter include clinical, technical, radiopharmaceutical, medical physics and radiation safety procedures.

Clinical audit is at the heart of clinical governance. Provides the mechanisms for reviewing the quality of everyday care provided to patients with common conditions like asthma or diabetes. Builds on a long history of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals reviewing case notes and seeking ways to serve their patients better. Addresses the quality issues systematically and explicitly, providing reliable information. Can confirm the quality of clinical services and highlight the need for improvement. Provides clear statements of principle about clinical audit in the NHS.

Accuracy requirements in radiation oncology have been defined in multiple publications; however, these have been based on differing radiation technologies. In the meantime, the uncertainties in radiation dosimetry reference standards have been reduced and more detailed patient outcome data are available. No comprehensive literature on accuracy and uncertainties in radiotherapy has been published so far. The IAEA has therefore developed a new international consensus document on accuracy requirements and uncertainties in radiation therapy, to promote safer and more effective patient treatments. This publication addresses accuracy and uncertainty issues related to the vast majority of radiotherapy departments including both external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. It covers clinical, radiobiological, dosimetric, technical and physical aspects.