Looking Backward and Forward: Learning From and Updating the ASTRO Safety White Papers 10 Years Later.

Quality and safety processes have been an integral part of radiation therapy (RT) since the beginning of therapeutic radiation delivery to patients for malignant and nonmalignant conditions. As treatment planning and delivery became increasingly complex, the potential risks and safety events that could affect patients increased as well. When a series of articles was published in 2010 describing several RT errors that led to patient harm, radiation oncology professionals and vendor representatives met at The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) – American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Safety in Radiation Therapy – A Call to Action meeting in Miami. 1 Hendee WR Herman MG Improving patient safety in radiation oncology. Med Phys. 2011; 38: 78-82 Crossref PubMed Scopus (58) Google Scholar Several initiatives were launched by ASTRO, AAPM, and other professional organizations to develop standards and resources to aid in minimizing the risk of errors and maximizing the dissemination of best practices. ASTRO's Target Safely campaign included an interdisciplinary effort to develop guidance focused on patient safety, which included the publication “Safety Is No Accident.” This comprehensive guide for facilities addressed requirements for structure, personnel, and technical processes to facilitate the safe delivery of RT and develop the first series of ASTRO Safety White Papers. These documents stood out for their attention to interdisciplinary considerations in the process of caring for patients receiving RT.