Radiation Oncology in Arizona

Quality Assurance

Specialists and other staff at Mayo Clinic in Arizona follow these procedures consistently to assure that radiation treatments are appropriately prescribed and accurately delivered.

Morning conferences — Physicians and other team members meet three to four mornings each week to discuss patients seen the previous day. Physicians present the cases and their recommendations for peer review.

Chart rounds — Physicians and staff meet each week to review the beam films (taken during treatment to verify the accuracy of the treatment beams) and each patient's progress.

Plan checks — A physicist checks the accuracy of dose calculations and the details of the setup instructions prior to treatment and weekly during treatment.

Chart checks — A physicist reviews the charts of every patient under treatment each week for continued agreement with the treatment plan.

Treatment machine checks — Radiation output from the linear accelerators is measured and checked for consistency every morning. Physicists use additional equipment to maintain the calibrations monthly and annually.

Beam films — Before treatment begins and weekly thereafter, films are taken with the treatment beams to verify the continued accuracy of the dose delivered.

Computer verification — For each beam and every treatment, a dedicated computer system verifies the detailed settings set by the therapists against the patient's original plan.