TY - JOUR
T1 - Professional practice changes in radiotherapy physics during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Bertholet, Jenny
AU - Aznar, Marianne C.
AU - Garibaldi, Cristina
AU - Thwaites, David
AU - Gershkevitsh, Eduard
AU - Thorwarth, Daniela
AU - Verellen, Dirk
AU - Heijmen, Ben
AU - Hurkmans, Coen
AU - Muren, Ludvig
AU - Redalen, Kathrine Røe
AU - Siebert, Frank André
AU - Schwarz, Marco
AU - Van Elmpt, Wouter
AU - Georg, Dietmar
AU - Jornet, Nuria
AU - Clark, Catharine H.
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge all the respondents of the survey for their detailed answers and for openly sharing their experience. We thank the ESTRO office for technical support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/7/1
Y1 - 2021/7/1
N2 - Background and purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed changes in radiotherapy (RT) departments worldwide. Medical physicists (MPs) are key healthcare professionals in maintaining safe and effective RT. This study reports on MPs experience during the first pandemic peak and explores the consequences on their work. Methods: A 39-question survey on changes in departmental and clinical practice and on the impact for the future was sent to the global MP community. A total of 433 responses were analysed by professional role and by country clustered on the daily infection numbers. Results: The impact of COVID-19 was bigger in countries with high daily infection rate. The majority of MPs worked in alternation at home/on-site. Among practice changes, implementation and/or increased use of hypofractionation was the most common (47% of the respondents). Sixteen percent of respondents modified patient-specific quality assurance (QA), 21% reduced machine QA, and 25% moved machine QA to weekends/evenings. The perception of trust in leadership and team unity was reversed between management MPs (towards increased trust and unity) and clinical MPs (towards a decrease). Changes such as home-working and increased use of hypofractionation were welcomed. However, some MPs were concerned about pressure to keep negative changes (e.g. weekend work). Conclusion: COVID-19 affected MPs through changes in practice and QA procedures but also in terms of trust in leadership and team unity. Some changes were welcomed but others caused worries for the future. This report forms the basis, from a medical physics perspective, to evaluate long-lasting changes within a multi-disciplinary setting.
AB - Background and purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed changes in radiotherapy (RT) departments worldwide. Medical physicists (MPs) are key healthcare professionals in maintaining safe and effective RT. This study reports on MPs experience during the first pandemic peak and explores the consequences on their work. Methods: A 39-question survey on changes in departmental and clinical practice and on the impact for the future was sent to the global MP community. A total of 433 responses were analysed by professional role and by country clustered on the daily infection numbers. Results: The impact of COVID-19 was bigger in countries with high daily infection rate. The majority of MPs worked in alternation at home/on-site. Among practice changes, implementation and/or increased use of hypofractionation was the most common (47% of the respondents). Sixteen percent of respondents modified patient-specific quality assurance (QA), 21% reduced machine QA, and 25% moved machine QA to weekends/evenings. The perception of trust in leadership and team unity was reversed between management MPs (towards increased trust and unity) and clinical MPs (towards a decrease). Changes such as home-working and increased use of hypofractionation were welcomed. However, some MPs were concerned about pressure to keep negative changes (e.g. weekend work). Conclusion: COVID-19 affected MPs through changes in practice and QA procedures but also in terms of trust in leadership and team unity. Some changes were welcomed but others caused worries for the future. This report forms the basis, from a medical physics perspective, to evaluate long-lasting changes within a multi-disciplinary setting.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108595388&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.phro.2021.06.002
DO - 10.1016/j.phro.2021.06.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 34179522
AN - SCOPUS:85108595388
SN - 2405-6316
VL - 19
SP - 25
EP - 32
JO - Physics and Imaging in Radiation Oncology
JF - Physics and Imaging in Radiation Oncology
ER -