Quality & Quality improvement at the ECMP and DGMP medical physics congresses
October 20, 2016
September was a busy month for Qaelum, as we were present at two important events on medical physics. Niki Fitousi, Qaelum’s Head of Research, participated in both events and had the chance to meet with international experts.
Discussing the importance of numerical values in quality at the first European Congress of Medical Physics
The very first European Congress of Medical Physics (ECMP, 1-4 sept 2016), organized by the “European Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (EFOMP)”, took place in Athens, Greece. Medical professionals from 52 countries attended this meeting, which was hosted by the Hellenic Association of Medical Physicists (HAMP).
In addition to its general focus on Medical Physics, also Diagnostic Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy topics were presented at ECMP. This attracted a wide range of healthcare professionals (technologists, radiologists, medical physicists).
A key topic at the congress was quality and quality improvement. Leading organizations (IAEA, EFOMP, IOMP) underlined the importance of reaching high standards in quality with respect to patient management and safety. The message was that quality should be measured and that numerical values are of utmost importance in quality.
Also, the new Basic Safety Standards (BSS) of the European Commission – Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom- shaped the framework for most presentations. With the directive compliance deadline coming soon (February 2018), it is essential for hospitals to start implementing quality management systems as soon as possible. In the BSS, justification, optimization and dosimetry play an important role.
As dosimetry is the cornerstone of optimization and one of the main responsibilities of the MPs, the focus lies on finding novel methods for more accurate organ dose calculations and risk assessments. Organ doses tend to become the most interesting dosimetric parameters. Hence, differences in body size and anatomy play a critical role.
At the meeting’s exhibition, our partner Agfa Healthcare presented our DOSE solution. The booth attracted many visitors from several countries. During the conference breaks, Niki also visited the booth and had fruitful conversations with several professionals about DOSE’s special features, while Agfa was doing the demonstration.
Up: Dimitris Niotis, Support Engineer Agfa Healthcare, presents DOSE by Qaelum on ECMP 2016. Below: Niki Fitousi, Qaelum’s Sr. Medical Physicist interacting with customers and prospects on the Agfa Healthcare booth.
