Search results for "assurance"
showing 10 items of 165 documents
QA of dynamic MLC based on EPID portal dosimetry.
2010
Abstract Purpose Dynamic delivery of intensity modulated beams (dIMRT) requires not only accurate verification of leaf positioning but also a control on the speed of motion. The latter is a parameter that has a major impact on the dose delivered to the patient. Time consumed in quality assurance (QA) procedures is an issue of relevance in any radiotherapy department. Electronic portal imaging dosimetry (EPID) can be very efficient for routine tests. The purpose of this work is to investigate the ability of our EPID for detecting small errors in leaf positioning, and to present our daily QA procedures for dIMRT based on EPID. Methods and materials A Varian 2100 CD Clinac equipped with an 80 …
Quality assurance and assessment frameworks of Italian Biosystems Engineering studies
2010
In Italy the tools for quality assurance and assessment frameworks of all University studies are established by the D.M. (Law) of the Ministry of Education, University and Research n. 544 of the 31st October 2007, dealing with the requirements that Universities must have every year in order to offer degree study programs. Moreover, the accreditation procedure is established by the Law of the Italian Ministry of Work and Welfare n. 166 of the 25th May 2001, by which each Italian Regional administration can recognise the proposal and organisation of teaching activities (e.g. higher education) or guidance ones, funded by public resources, to public and/or private bodies (e.g. Universities). Th…
Analysis of the implementation of ISO 9000 quality assurance systems
2000
Examines the literature relating to the implementation of quality assurance systems and then uses a questionnaire to a number of organisations and consultants to compare “practice” with “theory”. Analyses the implementation process for quality assurance systems designed to meet the requirements of the ISO 9000 standard to identify the role of the different “actors” to find out which factors facilitate the implementation or make it more difficult. Suggests that the primary motivation for introducing ISO 9000 systems is to improve image and reputation rather than processes.
Discourse-based evaluation and quality management in higher education institutions: a German-Vietnamese case study of the collegial audit
2020
This article presents experiences and conclusions of an audit approach that focuses on the thesis that universities can gain most from external impulses when actively acquired and adapted by partic...
Quality Indicators in Reference to the Evaluation of the Quality Management of Services in Local Public Administration
2014
Abstract The paper proposes to show evidence in measures of quality through quantification of the level of current performance of an organization, like local public administration, in accordance with performance standards. The evaluation of quality measures the difference between the expected performance and the actual performance, to identify and improve the quality of the local public administration. Standards of performance could be set for different dimensions of quality. For example: the quality of managing documents, the products, processes and services requires the gathering and analysis of information, set in measuring terms. In a few cases the measuring of quality as percentage of …
Structured Reporting in Clinical Routine.
2018
The radiology report is the key component in the communication between radiologists and referring clinicians. Traditionally, reports are written as free text. Several studies have shown that structured reporting using dedicated report templates has a number of advantages compared to conventional reports. Therefore, many radiological societies have recommended the implementation of structured reporting in clinical routine. In the meantime, collections of freely available templates have been presented and software solutions for structured reporting have been made commercially available. These allow for quality improvements in the written radiology report as they ensure that all relevant clin…
Supplement 2 for the 2004 update of the AAPM Task Group No. 43 Report: Joint recommendations by the AAPM and GEC-ESTRO
2017
Since publication of the 2004 update to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group No. 43 Report (TG-43U1) and its 2007 supplement (TG-43U1S1), several new low-energy photon-emitting brachytherapy sources have become available. Many of these sources have satisfied the AAPM prerequisites for routine clinical purposes and are posted on the Brachytherapy Seed Registry managed jointly by the AAPM and the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston Quality Assurance Center (IROC Houston). Given increasingly closer interactions among physicists in North America and Europe, the AAPM and the Groupe Europeen de Curietherapie-European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (GEC…
Vulnerability Black Markets: Empirical Evidence and Scenario Simulation
2009
This paper discusses the manifest characteristics of online Vulnerability Black Markets (VBM), insider actors, interactions and mechanisms, obtained from masked observation. Because VBM transactions are hidden from general view, we trace their precursors as secondary evidence of their development and activity. More general attributes of VBMs and the exploits they discuss are identified. Finally, we introduce a simulation model that captures how vulnerability discoveries may be placed in a dual legal-black market context. We perform simulations and find that if legal markets expose vulnerabilities that go unresolved, the security and quality of software may suffer more than in the absence of…
Building a continuous multicenter infection surveillance system in the intensive care unit: findings from the initial data set of 9,493 patients from…
2008
OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of infections in intensive care units (ICUs), whether present at admission or acquired during the stay. METHODS: Prospective data collection lasting 6 months in 71 Italian adult ICUs. Patients were screened for infections and risk factors at ICU admission and daily during their stay. MAIN RESULTS: Out of 9,493 consecutive patients admitted to the 71 ICUs, 11.6% had a community-acquired infection, 7.4% a hospital-acquired infection, and 11.4% an ICU-acquired infection. The risk curve of acquiring infection in the ICU was higher in patients who entered without infection than in those already infected (log-rank test, p < .0001; at 15 days, 44.0% vs. 34.6…
Commissioning and periodic tests of the Esteya® electronic brachytherapy system
2015
A new electronic brachytherapy unit from Elekta, called Esteya(®), has recently been introduced to the market. As a part of the standards in radiation oncology, an acceptance testing and commissioning must be performed prior to treatment of the first patient. In addition, a quality assurance program should be implemented. A complete commissioning and periodic testing of the Esteya(®) device using the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Groupe Europeen de Curietherapie and the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (GEC-ESTRO) guidelines for linacs and brachytherapy units as well as our personal experience is described in this paper. In addition to the methodology, r…