ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S2169

Interdisciplinary – Education in radiation oncology

ESTRO 2025

The derived framework is schematically represented in a model visualizing the connections between Automation, Complexity, and Information, along with associated risks (drags) and risk mitigation strategies (boosters) (Fig. 1). Commonly identified "drag factors" resulting from automation—such as complacency and attention tunneling— require mitigation strategies. When these strategies are paired with automation, they result in "booster factors" like cognitive unload and improved workflow management. We selected 14 automated processes in RO based on their prevalence and impact on clinical workflow and assessed each process using the taxonomy defined in the paper, considering the level of automation and the drag and booster factors present in our respective clinics. Results: Our evaluation covered 14 automated processes across automation levels 1(single-task automation) to 4(Full independent automation), incorporating both well-established methods like scripting and dose calculation, and newer processes such as AI segmentation. A single illustrative example at each automation level is shown in Table 1. We identified drag and booster factors for each example, demonstrating that human factors exist and should be considered for both new automated processes like AI-segmentation/Planning, but also in long-established ones like dose calculation.