A new innovation in sharing previous radiation therapy treatment data will be implemented across Victoria, thanks to Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre planning services leader Phillip Moloney.
The radiation therapist has created a new method of sharing data between radiotherapy centres, which has received the backing of the Victorian Government.
People often receive radiation treatment at different hospitals, which makes the accurate sharing of previous treatment information important for ongoing patient care and safety.
Treatment sheets have previously been photocopied and then faxed or scanned, with differing protocols and image quality making interpretation difficult.
Phillip had the idea for a cloud-based sharing platform after discussing the issue during a meeting with the Victorian Public Services Rapid Plan Group.
“I realised we needed a cloud-based sharing platform that maintains patient information security, while sharing anatomical and dosimetric data through the right format on a cloud server,” he said.
“This is the first of its kind in Victoria for radiation therapy, so we submitted a proposal on behalf of all public departments to the DHHS and they funded the first iteration of the software development.
“This is new ground so hopefully it all goes smoothly and eventually the concept expands to become a national initiative.”
