Implementing a Sim-free Workflow for Radiotherapy in a Low-resource Setting
We are developing a patient-centered workflow for palliative radiation treatments that will help improve delivery in a low-resource setting. The new workflow is being implemented and tested at Atwell Radiation Therapy Center at Smith Clinic, which has limited and aging equipment that results in patients waiting at least two weeks for a CT simulation. Many patients are also uninsured or underinsured, and more than half of referred patients have advanced-stage cancer and require palliative treatments. Our pioneering approach to eliminating the CT simulation from the workflow accounts for variations in patient positioning between diagnostic CT scans and radiation treatments better than existing sim-free workflow models by using innovative immobilization strategies — including 3D printing technologies and low-cost curved cushions — and a novel artificial intelligence algorithm. If successful, this workflow can be replicated in other low-resource settings to reduce wait times and costs and increase access to radiation therapy for patients worldwide.
