Leadership in the radiation therapy profession: The importance of understanding the potential benefits and theoretical perspectives.

The incorporation of leadership concepts is at the forefront of agendas to advance the quality of patient care and innovation in many healthcare professions. In this Commentary, the authors draw upon evidence from the literature to discuss the theoretical perspectives of leadership and potential value in radiation therapy practice. For the patients to be provided with safe and high-quality treatment, continuous change and improvement are necessary. Leadership has the potential to influence behaviour change for practitioners and core organisational culture. Several leadership styles such as the transformational leadership can be applied to achieve a higher level of patient care and improve the likelihood of enhancing quality and efficiency in healthcare. These are also paramount to the success of radiation therapy practice. Hence, a higher priority should be placed on developing leadership in the Radiation Therapist (RT) workforce and educating new graduates of the potential benefits.