Dataset Information

VERT, a virtual clinical environment, enhances understanding of radiation therapy planning concepts.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The ability to understand treatment plan dosimetry and apply this understanding clinically is fundamental to the role of the radiation therapist. This study evaluates whether or not the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) contributes to teaching treatment planning concepts to a cohort of first-year radiation therapy students.

Methods

We directly compared a custom-developed VERT teaching module with a standard teaching module with respect to the understanding of treatment planning concepts using a cross-over design. Students self-reported their understanding of specific concepts before and after delivery of the VERT and standard teaching modules and evaluated aspects of VERT as a learning experience. In addition, teaching staff participated in a semi-structured interview discussing the modules from an educational perspective.

Results

Both the standard teaching module and VERT teaching module enhanced conceptual understanding and level of confidence in the student cohort after both teaching periods. The proportion of students reporting a perceived increase in knowledge/confidence was similar for the VERT teaching module for all but two scenarios. We propose that an integrated approach, providing a strong theoretical conceptual framework, followed by VERT to situate this framework in the (simulated) clinical environment combines the best of both teaching approaches.

Conclusion

This study has established for the first time a clear role for a tailored VERT teaching module in teaching RT planning concepts because of its ability to visualise conceptual information within a simulated clinical environment.

SUBMITTER: Leong A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5986053 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

VERT, a virtual clinical environment, enhances understanding of radiation therapy planning concepts.

Leong Aidan A Herst Patries P Kane Paul P

Journal of medical radiation sciences 20180308 2

<h4>Introduction</h4>The ability to understand treatment plan dosimetry and apply this understanding clinically is fundamental to the role of the radiation therapist. This study evaluates whether or not the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) contributes to teaching treatment planning concepts to a cohort of first-year radiation therapy students.<h4>Methods</h4>We directly compared a custom-developed VERT teaching module with a standard teaching module with respect to the unders ...[more]

PMID: 29516649

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Project description:To introduce a method to efficiently identify and calculate meaningful tradeoffs between criteria in an interactive IMRT treatment planning procedure. The method provides a systematic approach to developing high-quality radiation therapy treatment plans.Treatment planners consider numerous dosimetric criteria of varying importance that, when optimized simultaneously through multicriteria optimization, yield a Pareto frontier which represents the set of Pareto-optimal treatment plans. However, generating and navigating this frontier is a time-consuming, nontrivial process. A lexicographic ordering (LO) approach to IMRT uses a physician's criteria preferences to partition the treatment planning decisions into a multistage treatment planning model. Because the relative importance of criteria optimized in the different stages may not necessarily constitute a strict prioritization, the authors introduce an interactive process, sensitivity analysis in lexicographic ordering (SALO), to allow the treatment planner control over the relative sequential-stage tradeoffs. By allowing this flexibility within a structured process, SALO implicitly restricts attention to and allows exploration of a subset of the Pareto efficient frontier that the physicians have deemed most important.Improvements to treatment plans over a LO approach were found by implementing the SALO procedure on a brain case and a prostate case. In each stage, a physician assessed the tradeoff between previous stage and current stage criteria. The SALO method provided critical tradeoff information through curves approximating the relationship between criteria, which allowed the physician to determine the most desirable treatment plan.The SALO procedure provides treatment planners with a directed, systematic process to treatment plan selection. By following a physician's prioritization, the treatment planner can avoid wasting effort considering clinically inferior treatment plans. The planner is guided by criteria importance, but given the information necessary to accurately adjust the relative importance at each stage. Through these attributes, the SALO procedure delivers an approach well balanced between efficiency and flexibility.

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Dataset Information

VERT, a virtual clinical environment, enhances understanding of radiation therapy planning concepts.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

VERT, a virtual clinical environment, enhances understanding of radiation therapy planning concepts.

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