A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments
Background: The radiotherapy (RT) community faces great challenges to meet the growing cancer incidence, especially regarding workload and recruitment of personnel. Workflow-related issues affect involved professions differently since they have specific expertise and various roles in the workflow. T...
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doaj-7a294c7792534f0e991213bc88f4d35a2021-06-02T09:17:40ZengElsevierClinical and Translational Radiation Oncology2405-63082020-09-0124127134A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departmentsJesper Lindberg0Paul Holmström1Stefan Hallberg2Thomas Björk-Eriksson3Caroline E. Olsson4Department of Radiation Physics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Regional Cancer Centre West, Western Sweden Healthcare Region, Gothenburg, Sweden; Corresponding author at: Regionalt cancercentrum väst, Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset, 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden.Department of Radiation Physics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenRegional Cancer Centre West, Western Sweden Healthcare Region, Gothenburg, SwedenRegional Cancer Centre West, Western Sweden Healthcare Region, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Radiation Physics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Regional Cancer Centre West, Western Sweden Healthcare Region, Gothenburg, SwedenBackground: The radiotherapy (RT) community faces great challenges to meet the growing cancer incidence, especially regarding workload and recruitment of personnel. Workflow-related issues affect involved professions differently since they have specific expertise and various roles in the workflow. To obtain an objective understanding of the current working situation and identify workflow bottle necks in RT, we conducted a national survey on this topic in 2018. Materials and Methods: All 17 (photon-based) RT departments in Sweden were invited to participate in the study, which targeted both managers and employees in RT. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each profession and for small, medium and large departments (2/3–4/≥5 linacs). Results: Altogether, 364 filled-in questionnaires were returned (32/332 managers/employees; 94% response rate). Managers reported a general need for more staff (all professions). Small departments reported no problems with waiting times (0/3); whereas 2/3 of medium and large departments did (medium: 5/8, large: 2/3). All professions had a positive attitude towards working in RT (mean = 86%, 0/100%=negative/positive attitude). Organizational issues were ranked highest among reoccurring events that were most frustrating/had most negative effect on the work environment. The most severe workflow-related problems were reported to originate at contouring. Conclusion: Future efforts to improve the modern RT workflow need to focus on how to make positive mechanisms at small departments useful in larger settings. Our data also reveal that strong leadership and improved routines at contouring are warranted by all RT professions to reduce frustration related to organizational issues and to increase work effectivity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405630820300677RadiotherapyWorkflowOrganizationStaff |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jesper Lindberg Paul Holmström Stefan Hallberg Thomas Björk-Eriksson Caroline E. Olsson |
spellingShingle |
Jesper Lindberg Paul Holmström Stefan Hallberg Thomas Björk-Eriksson Caroline E. Olsson A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology Radiotherapy Workflow Organization Staff |
author_facet |
Jesper Lindberg Paul Holmström Stefan Hallberg Thomas Björk-Eriksson Caroline E. Olsson |
author_sort |
Jesper Lindberg |
title |
A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments |
title_short |
A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments |
title_full |
A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments |
title_fullStr |
A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments |
title_full_unstemmed |
A national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments |
title_sort |
national perspective about the current work situation at modern radiotherapy departments |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology |
issn |
2405-6308 |
publishDate |
2020-09-01 |
description |
Background: The radiotherapy (RT) community faces great challenges to meet the growing cancer incidence, especially regarding workload and recruitment of personnel. Workflow-related issues affect involved professions differently since they have specific expertise and various roles in the workflow. To obtain an objective understanding of the current working situation and identify workflow bottle necks in RT, we conducted a national survey on this topic in 2018. Materials and Methods: All 17 (photon-based) RT departments in Sweden were invited to participate in the study, which targeted both managers and employees in RT. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each profession and for small, medium and large departments (2/3–4/≥5 linacs). Results: Altogether, 364 filled-in questionnaires were returned (32/332 managers/employees; 94% response rate). Managers reported a general need for more staff (all professions). Small departments reported no problems with waiting times (0/3); whereas 2/3 of medium and large departments did (medium: 5/8, large: 2/3). All professions had a positive attitude towards working in RT (mean = 86%, 0/100%=negative/positive attitude). Organizational issues were ranked highest among reoccurring events that were most frustrating/had most negative effect on the work environment. The most severe workflow-related problems were reported to originate at contouring. Conclusion: Future efforts to improve the modern RT workflow need to focus on how to make positive mechanisms at small departments useful in larger settings. Our data also reveal that strong leadership and improved routines at contouring are warranted by all RT professions to reduce frustration related to organizational issues and to increase work effectivity. |
topic |
Radiotherapy Workflow Organization Staff |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405630820300677 |
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