Department of Medical Physics, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Medical Imaging, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2020 Mar;51(1):22-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2019.12.004. Epub 2020 Feb 17.
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Management of a quality assurance program in diagnostic imaging involves a variety of machine types, multiple vendors, and a large number of frontline staff who have different specializations. Standardizing tests across multiple platforms in the face of vendor recommendations, regulatory requirements, and professional practice protocols can present challenges to maintain a robust and coherent quality assurance program. The current work presents a unique application of an existing tool that can be used to manage a comprehensive quality assurance program in a diagnostic imaging department.
QATrack+ is an open source, quality assurance platform originally developed for and currently widely used in radiation therapy departments. The use of QATrack+ for quality assurance program management within a large diagnostic imaging department is a novel use of this tool.
QATrack+ was successfully implemented in a large, multisite diagnostic imaging department. The progression toward a single platform for the quality assurance program has addressed issues of end of life with previous software packages and has improved the standardization of testing across the institution. The configuration of the software has enabled frontline staff to be directly engaged in the quality control (QC) program, improving the efficiency of resource allocation for QC and promoting a strong safety culture and commitment to quality. Trending tools within QATrack+ allow for simplified review of tests and enable the early identification of potential failures.
Originally developed for radiation therapy programs, QATrack+ is well suited to applications within diagnostic imaging. It is versatile and is easily adapted to the individual needs of a department for activities ranging from quality control testing, scheduling, test review, and data trending. It simplifies the standardization of quality control practices across platforms, thereby facilitating training and promoting involvement in the quality assurance program by all staff.
简介/背景：诊断影像质量保证计划的管理涉及多种机型、多个供应商以及大量具有不同专业知识的一线员工。面对供应商建议、法规要求和专业实践协议，在多个平台上标准化测试可能会对维持一个强大而连贯的质量保证计划带来挑战。目前的工作提出了一种独特的应用，即可以使用现有的工具来管理诊断影像部门的全面质量保证计划。
QATrack+ 是一个开源的质量保证平台，最初是为放射治疗部门开发的，目前在该部门得到广泛应用。在大型诊断影像部门中使用 QATrack+ 进行质量保证计划管理是该工具的一种新颖应用。
QATrack+ 在一个大型多站点诊断影像部门成功实施。向单一平台推进质量保证计划解决了之前软件包的生命周期问题，并提高了整个机构的测试标准化程度。该软件的配置使一线员工能够直接参与质量控制 (QC) 计划，提高 QC 资源分配的效率，并促进了强大的安全文化和对质量的承诺。QATrack+ 中的趋势工具允许简化测试审查，并能够及早识别潜在故障。
QATrack+ 最初是为放射治疗计划开发的，非常适合诊断影像应用。它具有通用性，并且易于适应部门的个人需求，可用于从质量控制测试、计划安排、测试审查和数据趋势等各种活动。它简化了跨平台的质量控制实践的标准化，从而促进了所有员工对质量保证计划的培训和参与。
