Melbourne, Florida – Radiation Therapy clinics and departments worldwide report the SunCHECK™ Platform from Sun Nuclear has proven essential to their COVID-19 preparedness. SunCHECK aggregates disparate databases, automates inefficient tasks, and centralizes critical data for easier access by all — making it an ideal, flexible tool for remote and on-site clinical continuity.
In a recent webinar held by AAPM1, when asked to describe changes in their work patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 70% of attendees responded that changes were substantial with a notable impact, or very substantial with a major impact, on their practices.
For Radiation Therapy staff, SunCHECK minimizes the time in clinic, reduces reliance on physical tools, and combines all Patient and Machine QA data in one database, accessed from anywhere via a secure, browser-based interface. The Platform optimizes workflows, with a worklist-oriented dashboard, task automation, remote test development, and real-time results via direct device connectivity.
"With the onset of the COVID pandemic, we appropriately adjusted our work schedules to limit staff census,” notes Christopher Melhus, Ph.D., Chief of Radiation Oncology Physics, Tufts Medical Center. “SunCHECK allowed us to remotely review daily machine QA tasks, collaborate on monthly QA results while viewing the same data, and reduce the clinical burden for on-site personnel.”
For Patient QA, SunCHECK provides efficient, independent oversight throughout the workflow, including remote review and approval of QA plans, reduced risk of treatment interruptions from incomplete QA, contactless in-vivo QA, and physician review of results, with QA information on anatomy.
“We have taken quick action to move to hypofractionated treatments for a number of case types, and with the ability to adapt quickly in SunCHECK, we were able to make this change overnight, without interrupting the QA-chain,” notes Dirk Verellen, Ph.D., Head of Medical Physics, Iridium Kankernetwerk, and Professor Biomedical Physics, Belgium.
During the same AAPM webinar noted above, when asked what COVID-19-related changes to their workflows may carry on past the pandemic, 81% of attendees anticipated telehealth expansions and 88% of attendees anticipated enhanced remote work opportunities/requirements may continue post-pandemic. SunCHECK is proving not just an effective tool for remote QA, but also an enduring tool for flexibility and efficiency during unexpected disruptions to clinical workflows.
To help all centers be prepared for the unexpected, Sun Nuclear offers pricing plans based upon unique clinical needs. Visit sunnuclear.com/getprepared to learn how SunCHECK supports consistent, collaborative and remote QA for Radiation Therapy.
This topic will be featured in the Sun Nuclear booth at the 2020 ASTRO Annual Meeting, and at various AAPM Regional Chapter Meetings.
1 AAPM MP3.0 Webinar Series on Transformational Medical Physics (2020); Episode #1. “Medical Physics Meets COVID.” Ehsan Samei, Sarah McKenney, Lou Potters, Behrouz Shabestari, Gerald White
About SunCHECK
SunCHECK is an integrated and automated Quality Management Platform for standardizing Patient and Machine QA workflows among staff, machines, and locations. The SunCHECK Patient module encompasses all parts of Patient QA — Plan Checks, Secondary Checks, Pre-Treatment QA, and In-Vivo Monitoring. The SunCHECK Machine module integrates all Machine QA needs, including Daily, Monthly, and Annual QA; automated imaging, MLC and VMAT QA; and data trending. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medical Physics teams are finding it invaluable for standardizing processes and gaining remote access to Quality Assurance.
About Sun Nuclear Corporation
Sun Nuclear provides innovative solutions for Radiation Therapy and Diagnostic Imaging centers. Our mission is to enable healthier lives by improving the avoidance, detection and treatment of cancer. More than 5,000 cancer centers worldwide rely on us for independent, integrated Quality Management. With a focus on ongoing support, we aim to ease technology adoption, enhance workflows and improve outcomes – so that healthcare providers can achieve real results for Patient Safety. Visit us: sunnuclear.com. Follow us: @sunnuclear.