• Title/Summary/Keyword: quality assurance (QA)

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Development and Evaluation of Quality Assurance Worksheet for the Radiation Treatment Planning System (방사선치료계획 시스템의 정도관리 절차서 개발 및 유용성 평가)

  • Cho Kwang Hwan;Choi Jinho;Shin Dong Oh;Kwon Soo Il;Choi Doo Ho;Kim Yong Ho;Lee Sang Hoon
    • Progress in Medical Physics
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.186-191
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    • 2004
  • The periodic Quality Assurance (QA) of each radiation treatment related equipments is important one, but quality assurance of the radiation treatment planning system (RTPS) is still not sufficient rather than other related equipments in clinics. Therefore, this study will present and test the periodic QA program to compare, evaluation the efficiency of the treatment planning systems. This QA program is divided to terms for the input, output devices and dosimetric data and categorized to the weekly, monthly, yearly and non-periodically with respect to the job time, frequency of error, priority of importance. CT images of the water equivalent solid phantom with a heterogeneity condition are input into the RTPS to proceed the test. The actual measurement data are obtained by using the ion chamber for the 6 MV, 10 MV photon beam, then compared a calculation data with a measurement data to evaluate the accuracy of the RTPS. Most of results for the accuracy of geometry and beam data are agreed within the error criteria which is recommended from the various advanced country and related societies. This result can be applied to the periodic QA program to improve the treatment outcome as a proper model in Korea and used to evaluate the accuracy of the RTPS.

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Quality Assurance Experience in Korea

  • Lee, Jone-Chan
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.23-29
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    • 1984
  • This paper describes the evolution of quality assurance in Korea from it's total reliance on foreign contractors to the present status of conducting all QA functions independently. A brief status of the Republic of Korea Regulatory Bodies, licensing precess, codes and standards, and the quality organization of the Korea Electric Power Corporation are also included.

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Attitudes toward Quality Improvement Activities of QA Committee Member Physicians in Korean University Hospitals (대학병원 질 향상 관련 위원회 소속 의사들의 의료 질 관리 활동에 대한 인식 및 태도)

  • Lee, Sang-Il
    • Quality Improvement in Health Care
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.76-91
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    • 1998
  • Background : The purpose of this study was to understand general attitudes of physicians toward hospital quality improvement activities who have been members of QA committee in 32 Korean university hospitals. Methods : A postal survey about opinions of hospital quality improvement activities and desirable policy directions was sent to 328 QA committee member physicians. The questionnaires were composed of 48 items. In total 152 physicians responded to this survey(response rate: 49.3%). This study was carried out from January to February 1996. Results : Most physicians(97.5%) recognized the necessity of hospital QA activities. The most dominant supporting reason for quality activities was to improve clinical outcome. Two thirds of physicians regarded their own hospital activities for quality improvement as inactive. They considered that the obstacles were too little concern(33.6%), unclear objectives(28.9%), lack of human resources(14.3%), and insufficient education and training for quality improvement(10.1%). The most favoring policy among respondents was to give health care providers economic incentives. Provision of education and training for implementing quality improvement was the next to it. Physicians revealed their preferences for professional society, government, health insurance societies, consumer groups, hospital labor unions, and mass media in sequence as sponsoring agencies for hospital accreditation program. Conclusion : These study suggested that the concrete means for motivating physicians and promoting constructive partnership among related parties should be developed in order to activate current hospital quality activities in Korea.

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Development of New Prototype of Mechanical Quality Assurance for Clinical Linear Accelerator (의료용 선형가속기의 기계적 점검을 위한 새로운 정도관리 프로토콜의 개발)

  • 윤형근;신교철;김기환;오영기;김진기;정동혁;김정기;조문준;박인규
    • Progress in Medical Physics
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    • v.13 no.3
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    • pp.109-113
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    • 2002
  • In recent years, the radiotherapy equipment has become much more sophisticated, and with the complication comes an increased set of quality assurance (QA) responsibilities. Today's computer controlled linear accelerator requiring QA of not only the radiation integrity, but also the mechanical accuracy of the linear accelerator. The existing QA sheets are adequate for acceptance testing and commissioning but those sheets are somewhat descriptive form for routine QA. establishing the QA sheets for a facility are more efficient if the sheets could estimate the long-term stability for the result of QA. We are going to develope new prototype of mechanical QA sheet to visualize and to verify long-term stability of mechanical QA for clinical linear accelerator. The items included in mechanical QA sheet were 1) gantry rotation, 2) collimator rotation, 3) couch rotation, 4) optical distance indicator (ODI), and 5) laser alignment. We compared new prototype sheet with conventional sheet for several hospitals in Korea for those items. The QA acceptance criteria in this study mainly followed published recommendations. The contents of test for mechanical QA are the following. Confirm that the digital and/or mechanical gantry angle readouts are correct. Verify that digital and/or mechanical readouts of collimator angle agree with the true angle, as determined with the protractor. Measure the light field using a graph paper and compare with the digital readouts. Confirm digital readout accuracy. Verify that the sagittal laser, the left and right lasers, and the ceiling laser intersect at the isocenter. In the design of new QA sheet, we emphasized the representation of the long-term stability of mechanical QA by using Excel program. By using the new prototype QA sheet, we simplified and visualized the mechanical QA process, and could estimate the long-term stability of mechanical error of linear accelerator.

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Evaluation of the Resolution Characteristics by Using ATS 535H Phantom for Ultrasound Medical Imaging (초음파 의료영상에서 ATS 535H 팬텀을 이용한 해상력 특성 평가)

  • Jung-Whan, Min;Hoi-Woun, Jeong;Hea-Kyung, Kang
    • Journal of radiological science and technology
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    • v.46 no.1
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    • pp.15-21
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    • 2023
  • This study was purpose to assessment of the resolution characteristics by using ATS 535H Basic quality assurance (QA) phantom for ultrasound. The ultrasound equipment was used Logiq P6 (Ultrasound, GE Healthcare System, Chicago, IL, USA). And the ultrasound transducer were used Convex 4C (4~5.5 MHz), Linear 11L (10~13 MHz), Sector 3SP (3~5.5 MHz) probe. As for the noise power spectrum (NPS) comparison results by using ATS 535H Basic QA ultrasound phantom and Convex 4C, Linear 11L, Sector 3SP probe. The NPS value of the Convex 4C probe image was 0.0049, Linear 11L probe image was 0.0049, Sector 3SP probe image was 0.1422 when the frequency is 1.0 mm-1. The modulation transfer function (MTF) comparison results by using ATS 535H Basic QA ultrasound phantom and Linear 11L probe the MTF value of the 3 cm focus image was 0.7511 and 4 cm focus image was 0.9001 when the frequency is 1.0 mm-1. This study was presented characteristics of spatial resolution a quantitative evaluation methods by using ultrasound medical images for QA of ultrasound medical QA phantom. The quality control (QC) for equipment maintenance can be efficiently used in the clinic due to the quantitative evaluation of the NPS and MTF as the standard methods. It is meaningful in that it is applied mutatis mutandis and presented the results of physical resolution characteristics of the ultrasound medical image.

Standardization Strategy for e-Learning Quality Assurance (e-Learning QA 표준화의 동향과 전략)

  • Han, Tae-In;Kim, Gwang-Myeong
    • 한국디지털정책학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2005.06a
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    • pp.591-604
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    • 2005
  • 이러닝의 중요성과문화산업에의 파급효과 및 장래성에 대하여는 이미 많은 문건이나 발표로 알려져 있다. 이렇게 여러 분야에 중요한 효과를 가져가기 위해서는 교육의 양적 성장 뿐 만 아니라 효율적인 교육과 이에 대한 효과에 대해 관심을 기울여야 한다. 이미 미국이나 유럽을 중심으로 각종 이러닝 관련 연구를 통해 ROE(교육투자회임) 연구와 더불어 품질인증(QA : Quality Assurance)에 대한 중요성이 부각되고 있다. 이러한 움직임은 이러닝을 위한 교육자원의 상호운용 또는 활용이라는 측면에서 강조되어 온 이러닝 표준화와 연계되어 그 움직임이 활발히 진행되고 있다. 이러닝 품질표준화의 논의는 단순히 교육자원의 상호운용과 재사용이라는 측면에서 제시되어 온 메타데이터 관리 차원의 SCORM과 같은 기준 외에 교육자원의 생성으로부터 교육시스템 및 교육과정 운영에 이르기까지 그 영역이 광범위한 것에 주목할 필요가 있으며, 국가와 문화적으로도 다양한 환경을 고려해야만 할 것이다. 본고에서는 이러닝 품질보증 표준화의 정의와 범위 그리고 표준안을 만들기 위한 수행절차 및 적용방법 등을 살펴본 후에 외국의 개발 현황과 국내의 개발 현황을 비교함으로써 우리가 가져야 할 미래지향적 표준전략을 제시하고자 한다.

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Development of a Quality Assurance Safety Assessment Database for Near Surface Radioactive Waste Disposal

  • Park J.W.;Kim C.L.;Park J.B.;Lee E.Y.;Lee Y.M.;Kang C.H.;Zhou W.;Kozak M.W.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.35 no.6
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    • pp.556-565
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    • 2003
  • A quality assurance safety assessment database, called QUARK (QUality Assurance Program for Radioactive Waste Management in Korea), has been developed to manage both analysis information and parameter database for safety assessment of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) disposal facility in Korea. QUARK is such a tool that serves QA purposes for managing safety assessment information properly and securely. In QUARK, the information is organized and linked to maximize the integrity of information and traceability. QUARK provides guidance to conduct safety assessment analysis, from scenario generation to result analysis, and provides a window to inspect and trace previous safety assessment analysis and parameter values. QUARK also provides default database for safety assessment staff who construct input data files using SAGE(Safety Assessment Groundwater Evaluation), a safety assessment computer code.

A new research program that aims to establish an external audit system to radiotherapy QA in Japan

  • Shimbo, Munefumi;Tabushi, Katsuyoshi;Endo, Masahiro;Ikeda, Hiroshi
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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    • 2002.09a
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    • pp.17-18
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    • 2002
  • Last year, a three-year research program was started in order to establish an external audit system to radiotherapy QA in Japan. It consists of questionnaire surveys, mailed (off-site) dosimetry and visited (on-site) dosimetry at radiotherapy facilities in Japan. The first questionnaire was sent to all Japanese radiotherapy facilities in October 2001, surveying basic QA procedures at each facility. 628 answers were returned with the return rate of 87%. In February 2002, the second questionnaire was sent. Off-site and on-site dosimetry have been tested in several facilities, and will be started soon. We anticipates that this program will gradually grow to a radiotherapy quality control center similar to Radiological Physics Center at MD Anderson Hospital.

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A Fuzzy QFD Approach to the Determination of Importance Weights of Nuclear Quality Assurance Requirements (퍼지 QFD를 이용한 원자력 품질보증 요건의 중요도 결정)

  • Park, Chan-Gook;Choi, Gi-Ryun
    • Journal of Energy Engineering
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.128-148
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    • 2007
  • Quality assurance (QA) for nuclear R&D project is very concerned about the poor economy due to the improper selection of QA requirements. This paper proposes a new methodology for determining the relative importance weights of QA requirements considering the attributes of nuclear R&D project. QFD (Quality Function Deployment) is used as a conceptual framework and fuzzy number is introduced to capture the vagueness uncertainty existing in human judgement. Also we use a confidence attitude of decision-maker in order to improve the reliability of extracted attribute level of R&D project. Case study on a nuclear R&D project and scenario analysis are carried out to verify the usefulness and effectiveness of proposed methodology.

Quality Assurance of Leaf Speed for Dynamic Multileaf Collimator (MLC) Using Dynalog Files (Dynalog file을 이용한 동적다엽조준기의 Leaf 속도 정도관리 평가)

  • Kim, Joo Seob;Ahn, Woo Sang;Lee, Woo Suk;Park, Sung Ho;Choi, Wonsik;Shin, Seong Soo
    • The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.305-312
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    • 2014
  • Purpose : The purpose of this study is to analyze the mechanical and leaf speed accuracy of the dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) and determine the appropriate period of quality assurance (QA). Materials and Methods : The quality assurance of the DMLC equipped with Millennium 120 leaves has been performed total 92 times from January 2012 to June 2014. The the accuracy of leaf position and isocenter coincidence for MLC were checked using the graph paper and Gafchromic EBT film, respectively. The stability of leaf speed was verified using a test file requiring the leaves to reach maximum leaf speed during the gantry rotation. At the end of every leaf speed QA, dynamic dynalog files created by MLC controller were analyzed using dynalog file viewer software. This file concludes the information about the planned versus actual position for all leaves and provides error RMS (root-mean square) for individual leaf deviations and error histogram for all leaf deviations. In this study, the data obtained from the leaf speed QA were used to screen the performance degradation of leaf speed and determine the need for motor replacement. Results : The leaf position accuracy and isocenteric coincidence of MLC was observed within a tolerance range recommanded from TG-142 reports. Total number of motor replacement were 56 motors over whole QA period. For all motors replaced from QA, gradually increased patterns of error RMS values were much more than suddenly increased patterns of error RMS values. Average error RMS values of gradually and suddenly increased patterns were 0.298 cm and 0.273 cm, respectively. However, The average error RMS values were within 0.35 cm recommended by the vendor, motors were replaced according to the criteria of no counts with misplacement > 1 cm. On average, motor replacement for gradually increased patterns of error RMS values 22 days. 28 motors were replaced regardless of the leaf speed QA. Conclusion : This study performed the periodic MLC QA for analyzing the mechanical and leaf speed accuracy of the dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC). The leaf position accuracy and isocenteric coincidence showed whthin of MLC evaluation is observed within the tolerance value recommanded by TG-142 report. Based on the result obtained from leaf speed QA, we have concluded that QA protocol of leaf speed for DMLC was performed at least bimonthly in order to screen the performance of leaf speed. The periodic QA protocol can help to ensure for delivering accurate IMRT treatment to patients maintaining the performance of leaf speed.