After spending all day working through a difficult treatment plan, there is nothing worse than having to spend additional time compiling all of the correct documentation. Even worse is finding out during plan check that everything needs to be re-printed because of a typo in the field name or because the left femur was contoured as the right femur.
Correct documentation can be a frustrating time sink in an already busy planning department. The generation of treatment plan reports is an essential part of the planning workflow as it will be used as the definitive record for the implementation of the doctor’s prescription. The report will be used in the clinic at multiple stages of patient treatment and for a variety of purposes ranging from physics 2nd plan check, therapists time-out check at the machine, weekly physics chart check, reference during physician chart rounds, billing verification, and for the final end of treatment verification. To fully document a treatment plan, many items from the planning system must be reported and displayed in a comprehensive and easy-to-read document. The generation of these documents is, therefore, a critical part of the planning process that can be easily overlooked.
Recently, the Medical Physics Practice Guideline initiative released a draft of their recommended reportable items. In the Task Group 315 report draft, it recommends a standardized plan document that presents consistent isodose levels, nomenclature, and plan parameters. From prescription details to beams eye view parameters, the draft’s ‘Table 1’ lists recommendations for a treatment plan report.
Below is the table of the specific recommendations by the task group for external beam treatment plan reports. We will report updates on the document as they are shared with the AAPM community.
ClearCheck users currently have the ability to automate the complete list recommended by the TG-315 draft including the optional items. The full treatment plan report offered by ClearCheck provides clinics with a thorough document while saving time in the process. A free 30-day trial is available to experience automated documentation.