Computer Networking and Information Systems in Radiation Oncology

نویسنده

  • Michael G. Herman
چکیده

I. INTRODUCTION Quality patient care depends critically on the efficient management and availability of accurate information. There are many challenges involved in organizing and communicating information in radiation oncology (RT). As our planning and delivery systems become more complex and the amount of available data increase, a comprehensive information management scheme becomes a prerequisite to correct treatment delivery. Medical informatics is the science concerned with the organizational management of information in support of patient care, medical education and medical research. This includes acquisition, storage, retrieval and optimal use of medical information for problem solving and decision making. Medical informatics combines data from and interfaces between a large group of disciplines. It also involves understanding evolving technology and relationships and standards by which this information can be managed. The RT clinic represents a subsystem of the medical informatics world. Radiation therapy treatments embody many facets of modern medical informatics, since medical professionals and staff work closely using computer-controlled equipment and an abundance of patient and machine data for optimization of complex techniques for treatment planning, delivery and verification. The information system (IS) provides the backbone for communication, documentation and quality control and must integrate all necessary data/images in a seamless, reliable, efficient manner. The IS also provides the capability for numerical and statistical analysis of this wealth of data. As RT technology and technique have advanced, the IS have become electronic. This creates an additional level of complexity revolving around the electronic environment. Specifically, modern electronic IS are built on networks of computers connected in complex arrays, running sophisticated software, to provide transparent and seamless information availability to the users. Computers act as servers, controllers and interfaces. Investment of human and capital resources in IS and networks is inevitable and ongoing. The quality and availability of information in the clinic directly influences the quality of patient care rendered. This paper describes basic networking configurations and communications, followed by general to specific issues related to the IS that may be used in RT treatments.

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تاریخ انتشار 1999