The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released two radiotherapy safety guidances. The initiative has won the support of the Society of Radiographers (SoR).
The documents were published on 27 May and are called "Advancing Safer Radiotherapy: Guidance for Radiotherapy Providers on Improving Patient Safety" and "Safer Radiotherapy: National patient safety radiotherapy event taxonomy."
The guidances are an update of a 2008 report, "Towards Safer Radiotherapy." They recognize "the increasing complexity of treatment pathways, the integration of new technologies, and the critical role that patients play in ensuring safe and effective care," and highlight "the continued importance of local and national reporting of radiotherapy treatment errors (RTEs) using the U.K.'s patient safety radiotherapy event taxonomy," according to the SoR.
The society highlighted the following key recommendations from the guidances:
- Embed safety management systems within existing governance frameworks
- Promote learning from both adverse events and examples of "better practice"
- Develop national systems for monitoring early and late radiotherapy effects
- Support interdisciplinary investigations into RTEs with a systems-thinking approach
- Ensure robust, inclusive patient engagement mechanisms
- Introduce safeguards and training to support the safe adoption of new technologies and techniques
"By strengthening safety culture, embedding learning, and valuing the voice of patients, we’re not just responding to safety events -- we're actively shaping a safer, more responsive future for radiotherapy services across the U.K.," said SoR executive director of professional policy Charlotte Beardmore in a statement.
