ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S197

Brachytherapy - General

ESTRO 2025

1688

Digital Poster Educational and Organizational Support for Radiation Oncology Department Nurses and Teams Adopting Procedural, Anesthesia and Perioperative Practices Kayla D Kafka-Peterson Radiation Oncology, UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), Los Angeles, USA

Purpose/Objective:

Procedures within Radiation Oncology have increased significantly in recent years. Many departments have essentially become small perioperative and procedural units in a historically ambulatory area. Procedures include brachytherapy, hydrogel, fiducials, laryngoscopy, and both adult and pediatric anesthesia or sedation for simulations or external beam radiation therapy. This expansion of abilities is often met with lack of knowledge on policies and procedures pertinent to running a perioperative or procedural area, lack of oversight from perioperative leadership, and lack of staff training and safety protocols to perform such activities. This can lead to unregulated practices, lack of staff confidence, lack of adherence to best practices and can potentially jeopardize patient safety and satisfaction. Given how critical it is for Radiation Oncology departments to be able to offer such services, it is imperative that educational and organizational guidance be developed to assist departments undergoing this transition. The goal of this large institution educational and quality-improvement project is to illustrate how a Radiation Oncology department can safely, and efficiently, adopt perioperative and procedural practices to adequately meet the needs of patients and providers. Material/Methods: This educational and quality improvement initiative analyzes the efforts one large academic institution practicing a wide range of brachytherapy, clinic procedures, and adult and pediatric anesthesia as they navigated this transition from strictly an outpatient/ambulatory clinic, to a department with full capabilities for anesthesia, sedation, and procedures in both the OR and clinic setting. Results: This project demonstrates that Radiation Oncology outpatient departments can successfully adopt perioperative and procedural practices equivalent to the quality and efficiency of hospital-based procedural areas. Education can be created and implemented to ensure initial and ongoing staff competency. Policies and procedures can be created or revised to reflect expansion of services. Conclusion: By expanding Radiation Oncology departments’ ability to perform a vast range of procedures, team members can achieve knowledge and skills at the top of their licensure. This leads to team empowerment, increased safety, and the ability to care for patients with even the most complex care needs. Radiation Oncology practices can grow once these policies and practices are in place, as they are able to provide services on site instead of relying on external areas. Radiation Oncology can move into the future knowing that procedures, anesthesia and care of very complex patients can be successfully integrated into the ambulatory space, promoting expansive growth of our discipline in years to come.

Keywords: perioperative education, brachytherapy nursing