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Review of the clinical benefits and implementation of peer review of treatment plans in undergraduate medical dosimetry and radiation therapy training

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2016

Crispen Chamunyonga ,
Scott Crowe  and
Julie Burbery
Crispen Chamunyonga*
Affiliation:
School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Scott Crowe
Affiliation:
Cancer Care Services. Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Julie Burbery
Affiliation:
School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
*
Correspondence to: Crispen Chamunyonga, School of Clinical Sciences, Medical Radiation Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), GPO Box 2434, Brisbane QLD 4001, Australia. Tel: 61 4 5245 1727. Fax: 61 7 3138 2273. E-mail: crispen.chamunyonga@qut.edu.au
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Abstract

Purpose

Peer review of treatment plans has been used to improve planning consistency, decrease the need for replanning and improve quality of care through the safe delivery of high-quality radiotherapy plans. This narrative review summarises the clinical benefits and addresses the implementation of peer review of treatment plans in undergraduate medical dosimetry and radiation therapy training.

Discussion

There are encouraging results of peer review for advanced treatment planning techniques such as Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy techniques in clinical practice. Peer review can be used as a tool to improve students’ knowledge of organ-at-risk contouring, treatment plan critique and quality assurance. These desirable treatment planning skills can be easily transferred to clinical settings. Moreover, there are several potential pedagogical benefits such as improvement in student engagement, better communication skills and provision of synchronous and asynchronous feedback that can positively impact student success and future employment. However, there are several challenges in facilitating its implementation in university settings.

Conclusion

Embedding skills in peer review of treatment plans at undergraduate teaching level can be a powerful tool to impart clinical treatment planning knowledge. This narrative review provides a basis on which to develop an exploratory study of structured peer review activities in a training environment.

Keywords

pedagogypeer reviewquality and safetyteaching and learningtreatment planning
Type
Literature Reviews
Information
Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 85 - 91
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Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2016 

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