Delivering confidence in radiotherapy treatment and patient safety
The Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service (ACDS) is provided by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). The ACDS delivers a world-class radiotherapy dosimetry audit program, working with radiotherapy providers across Australia and New Zealand.
ACDS audits provide a high standard of assurance and confidence in radiotherapy treatment quality and patient safety. The ongoing participation of radiotherapy facilities in these audits plays a critical role in ensuring that cancer patients receive accurate doses of radiation.
In 2023–24, the ACDS delivered a program of 99 dosimetry audits. This included 46 remote audits and 53 onside audits covering the full range of radiotherapy treatment units and techniques.
ACDS Director Rhonda Brown setting up for a dosimetry measurement in a magnetic resonance-guided linear accelerator.
Image: ARPANSA
Working together
The original audit program was designed by ARPANSA and Health and Aged Care, to detect and correct radiation incidents before significant patient impact could occur. An independent review of the ACDS concluded that the audit program was effective in reducing incidents in the Australian radiation oncology community.
The program has expanded to include a comprehensive suite of modern radiotherapy techniques and treatment platforms. The program has a 3-level audit structure of increasing complexity and aligns with international best practice.
Stakeholder feedback is essential to the cycle of ACDS audit development and review. This ensures audits continue to meet the needs of radiation therapy departments and contribute to patient safety.
A continuing professional development activity for the medical community, the program is endorsed by peak industry bodies. This includes the Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine.
The ACDS is the only audit program nationally recognised by the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group for radiotherapy clinical trials. It is the only provider recognised by the Ionizing Radiation Oncology Core in Houston, United States.
Benefits for the community
Approximately 80,000 Australians received radiotherapy treatment in the last year, with numbers continuing to increase.
ACDS audits are sensitive to errors and can diagnose root causes throughout the treatment pathway. Auditing helps identify issues in radiotherapy systems that, if unidentified, can significantly impact patient treatment.
Reviews of suboptimal audit results have resulted in significant changes to clinical practice that have reduced actual and potential clinical hazards.
Outside of its auditing program, ACDS contributes to research in the radiation dosimetry field to further support patient safety, clinical trial development and the accuracy of treatment delivery.
This is achieved by sharing their research and findings with the radiation oncology community, including universities and peak professional bodies, through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences, meetings and training courses.
The ACDS continues its work in developing audits for emerging radiotherapy techniques such as online adaptive radiotherapy and motion adaptive radiotherapy.
Find out more
Australian Government (n.d.) ACDS audit program, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency website, accessed 10 September 2024.