Radiation therapy advanced practice – commentary

Cox, Jenny

doi:10.1002/jmrs.29

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…4 A number of existing and proposed APRT roles were identified. These included roles such as image review, [11][12][13][14][15] treatment review, [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] breast localisation, 14,27,28 palliative 29-33 and urology. 34 Two conference abstracts note APRT roles at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (PMCC), including imaging, breast, brachytherapy and radiation engineering.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first of these pointed out differences between this and other studies and presenting additional studies which support treatment review APRT roles. 15 The second, from a chief radiation therapist in a centre which has implemented several specialist RT and one APRT role stresses the importance of inter-professional communication, and consultation, particularly with ROs, in developing APRT roles. 25 Research on the palliative APRT role at the Mater Radiation Oncology Centre has provided data on capability and service improvement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advanced practice radiation therapists: an Australian context

Hilder

Dam

Doherty

2018

J of Medical Radiation Sci

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The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the literature regarding the development, implementation, scope and extent of Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist (APRT) roles in Australia in peer reviewed journals, government reports, conference proceedings and reports. A search was undertaken of PubMed, Web of Science and CINAHL, the ASMIRT website and, and Google Scholar to identify relevant documents. Combinations of keywords with Boolean operators ((advanced practice) OR (advanced practitioner) OR (specialist)) AND ((radiation therapist) OR (radiation therapy)) were used. Online and physical searches were conducted between July 16 and 23 2017. Results were not date limited. The searches retrieved 352 after duplicates were removed with 46 remaining after filtering for eligibility criteria. Items consisted of journal articles, conference abstracts, presentation slides, online presentations, State government and ASMIRT reports. A number of potential and existing APRT roles were found in the identified articles, including image review, stereotactic, treatment review, breast localisation, palliative radiotherapy, brachytherapy, radiation engineering and urology. Despite reports indicating that radiation therapists in Australia have been concerned with professional directions since 2001, there is little evidence of formal progress towards defined APRT roles. Several centres have implemented roles in a number of practice areas. The success of APRT roles lies in the ability to demonstrate that implementation goals have been achieved and that patient care has improved. The literature suggests that this is occurring, however, the presented evidence is not compelling.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advanced practice radiation therapists: an Australian context

Hilder

Dam

Doherty

2018

J of Medical Radiation Sci

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“…AP in the UK was initially driven by the National Health Service (NHS) [21]. Elsewhere in the world, RTTs as a profession have driven this, striving for it to be documented and evidence based [22,23]. The benefits of role development were recognised as early as 2000 where it was identified that educational strategies were required to allow practitioners to develop and work autonomously [24].…”

Section: United Kingdommentioning

confidence: 99%

Advanced practice: An ESTRO RTTC position paper

Duffton

Devlin

Tsang

et al. 2019

Technical Innovations & Patient Support in Radiation Oncolo

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European Society for radiotherapy and oncology (ESTRO) committee The ESTRO Radiation Therapist committee (RTTC) is made up of 14 representatives (including 2 elected members of the RTT alliance) working as radiation therapists (RTTs) in clinical departments and academic institutes. The role of the RTT in Europe has been described in previous ESTRO documents, with clear guidelines and definitions as to the educational standards required of an undergraduate practitioner (level 6) [1] and advanced/specialist practitioner (7&8) [2]. From here on, this paper will refer to our profession as RTT.

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“…However, one study examining the scope of radiographic practice in the UK confirmed that the implementation was designed primarily for radiography services. As Cox similarly notes, in the UK “RT AP was more varied and was tailored to suit the needs of individual departments of radiation oncology”. While a number of initiatives displaying the RTT's potential for AP have been developed in Australia and New Zealand, these tend to be “a ‘bottom‐up’ approach, being led by RTs and supported only in certain supportive departments.” Therefore, the CSRT project is one of the first examples of a jurisdiction‐wide, systematic and evidence‐based strategy for the development, implementation and sustainment of an AP role for radiation therapists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While a number of initiatives displaying the RTT's potential for AP have been developed in Australia and New Zealand, these tend to be "a 'bottom-up' approach, being led by RTs and supported only in certain supportive departments." 9 Therefore, the CSRT project is one of the first examples of a jurisdiction-wide, systematic and evidence-based strategy for the development, implementation and sustainment of an AP role for radiation therapists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (CSRT): A case study exploring the effectiveness of a new advanced practice role in Canada

Harnett

Lockhart

Ang

et al. 2018

J of Medical Radiation Sci

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IntroductionThe Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (CSRT), is a new advanced practice (AP) role for radiation therapists (RTTs). Following training, education and evaluation, the CSRT performs specific duties in autonomous ways, making advanced clinical decisions in their area of specialization. This case study examines the CSRT's impact on quantity (i.e., increasing capacity), improving quality and stimulating research and innovation.MethodsBetween 2007 and 2016, 23 CSRTs worked in 10 cancer centres in various AP position. A standardised metrics package, focusing on wait‐times, patient volumes, patient throughput, time‐savings, quality initiatives, satisfaction, research and innovation was developed and used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Data were self‐reported by the CSRTs but electronic databases, pre/post‐studies, surveys and interviews were also used.ResultsQuantity projects (n = 76) related to patient volumes, wait‐times, patient throughput and time‐savings increased capacity and allowed more patients to enter the system. The presence of a CSRT allowed, on average, 13 additional patients (either new or re‐treated) to be seen, at their respective cancer centre, per month. An average of 1.4 yearly quality improvement initiatives were led by each CSRT, which contributed to improvements in quality of care and satisfaction. CSRTs demonstrated a high level of involvement in research, innovation and knowledge translation activities, either as leaders or part of interprofessional teams.ConclusionCSRTs positively impact quantity (capacity of the system), quality, research and innovation. Future efforts include permanent and sustainable team integration, practice standards, formal and comprehensive educational preparation, and approaches to consistent, valid assessment of AP in radiation therapy.

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Radiation therapy advanced practice – commentary

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Advanced practice radiation therapists: an Australian context

Advanced practice radiation therapists: an Australian context

Advanced practice: An ESTRO RTTC position paper

The Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (CSRT): A case study exploring the effectiveness of a new advanced practice role in Canada

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