ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S2861

Interdisciplinary - Health economics & health services research

ESTRO 2024

Material/Methods:

All three professionals maintained clinical hours of 25% and were allocated 75% of their time to the fellowship. Overarching themes were decided that aligned with the strategic objectives of the SLRON network, these were artificial Intelligence in patient care, increase in efficiency and automation and research technology and innovation.

Results:

Within just six months, our multidisciplinary team (MDT) successfully initiated and implemented a clinical trial, highlighting our ability to quickly translate research into practice using a fellowship-based approach. The trial titled ‘A Comparative Randomised Clinical Trial Evaluating the Setup Accuracy and Patient Experience of Faceless Radiotherapy Masks Versus Conventional Full-face Masks for Head and Neck Radiotherapy Patients demands a multidisciplinary approach to access patient experience, accuracy and implantation of SGRT technology. The fellowship team had the combined necessary skills to move the project quickly from concept through to resource management and ethics approval. Trial design required a feasibility study to allow troubleshooting and workflow development on the how best to manage ROI placement and set up technique treatment unit. There was a strong emphasis on patient and public involvement in research and previous a patient of SLRON worked collaboratively as part of the trial design and ethics submissions.

Additionally, we efficiently integrated AI auto-contouring into our clinical workflow, laying the groundwork for the implementation of adaptive radiation therapy strategies led by RTs on our treatment unit.

The collaboration between the different fellowship roles has created a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and perspective sharing, ensuring our research and clinical practices are comprehensive well informed and impactful for our patients. This approach not only streamlines our processes but also ensures that we are consistently applying the most current and relevant practices in radiation therapy.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the introduction of these fellowship roles at SLRON has had a positive impact, enhancing our clinical practice and research capabilities. This abstract highlights the success of our collaborative approach, emphasising the rapid implementation of clinical trials and the integration of new technologies into our workflow, all of which contribute to advancing the field of radiation oncology. The collaboration is hoped to continue for the duration of the two year fellowship to see the trial through to completion and publication as well as continuing integration of auto-contouring software to increase efficiency and continuing a path to adaptive radiotherapy with work ongoing with Varian Velocity software.

Keywords: Research Fellowship