Purpose: i/ To compare the differences between the acute skin reaction of patients undergoing rad... more Purpose: i/ To compare the differences between the acute skin reaction of patients undergoing radiation therapy to the breast or chest wall washing with water and a mild cleansing agent (pH=7), and patients washing with water only, and ii/ to determine whether there is any psychological benefit for those patients washing with water and a mild cleansing agent compared to those washing with water only. Methods: Forty three (43) patients receiving tangential radiation therapy for early stage primary breast cancer were randomised to one of two treatment arms: Group 1 - washing with water and a mild cleansing agent (21 patients). Group 2 - washing with water only (22 patients). Acute skin reaction was assessed weekly by a radiation oncologist and radiation therapist using a modified EORTC/RTOG skin reaction scale. Acute skin reaction and psychological benefit was assessed by the patient using a weekly diary skin assessment card. Statistical analysis of the differences in skin reaction an...
The need for health professionals to reflect on practice and incorporate reflection into their li... more The need for health professionals to reflect on practice and incorporate reflection into their life long learning repertoire is not new. Many health professional programs at Universities use journaling as a tool to facilitate, encourage and foster insightful and reflective thinking, with an aim to develop future health professionals with skills to become reflective practitioners in the workplace. During their professional placements, undergraduate radiation therapy (RT) students at the University of Newcastle, Australia, write a personal development journal, describing their journey from novice to graduate practitioner. The full three year set of journals from one intake of students have been subjected to both qualitative descriptive analysis to describe the professional practice situations that students report on, and reflective analysis to describe the evidence of reflection. This paper focuses on the development of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool (NRAT) to analyse the jour...
The traditional context of learning in a University is that of a student engaged in learning and ... more The traditional context of learning in a University is that of a student engaged in learning and assessment as an individual learner (a solo learner), in a behaviorist model of teacher centered instruction. Most of the educational research undertaken which reviews students’ conceptions of learning and the qualitative outcomes of learning, has been undertaken in the solo learner context, in a direct instruction model of teaching. In the mid-1980s Australian workplaces identified the need for graduates to have a wide range of skills which made them highly adaptable to the modern workplace. These skills included those associated with working in teams. By the late 1990s Australian universities were introducing group work learning as a way to provide graduates with an experience in collaborative learning and social constructivist learning contexts. However, little research has been conducted that identifies the learning outcomes of group work learning. The research reported in this thesi...
The treatment of early stage breast cancer often involves a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy (1)... more The treatment of early stage breast cancer often involves a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy (1). A seroma is a collection of fluid that may be present at the site of the lumpectomy post- surgery which, if identified on CT-simulation, can be used as a proxy for the primary breast cancer tumour site (2, 3). This study specifically seeks to analyse the CT-simulation data of post-lumpectomy breast cancer patients to quantify the incidence of, and describe the presence of, seromas detectable on CT-simulation data. The project forms part of a research higher degree study investigating i/ the utility of 3D Ultrasound system in detecting post-surgical breast seroma in early stage breast cancer, and ii/ its role in radiation therapy to verify correct treatment positioning.
ABSTRACT Aim This study compared the acute toxicities reported during radiotherapy treatment usin... more ABSTRACT Aim This study compared the acute toxicities reported during radiotherapy treatment using either intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to deliver a moderate hypo-fractionated treatment for early-stage prostate cancer.Material and methods Acute toxicities are routinely reported at the clinical site for all patients using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Toxicity assessment is performed on day 1 of treatment, then once weekly thereafter. The recorded toxicities of 40 cases treated with five-field IMRT, and 32 cases treated using VMAT were retrospectively compared. All cases were prescribed 73·68 Gy in 28 fractions. Eight symptoms were assessed; diarrhoea, proctitis, fatigue, pain, dermatitis, urinary frequency, urinary retention and urinary tract pain.Results In terms of the overall toxicity recorded, VMAT was shown to reduce the toxicities of dermatitis, fatigue, pain and urinary frequency (p<0·05). Using IMRT, grade 2 toxicities were reported for proctitis, pain, urinary frequency, urinary retention and urinary tract pain. Using VMAT, grade 2 toxicities were reported for urinary frequency and urinary retention.Findings The research reported here is one of the first publications to demonstrate that VMAT is associated with decreased toxicities compared with IMRT for the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer.
Purpose: The Australian Universities Radiation Therapy Student Clinical Assessment Form (AURTSCAF... more Purpose: The Australian Universities Radiation Therapy Student Clinical Assessment Form (AURTSCAF) was designed to assess the clinical skills of radiation therapy (RT) students from the six universities that offer entry level RT programs. Given the AURTSCAF has now been in use for over two years, the Radiation Therapy Program Coordinators (RTPC) group initiated a post implementation evaluation survey. This formed the final phase of the AURTSCAF project and was funded by the Radiation Oncology Division of the Department of Health and Ageing. Methods: A cross-sectional designed survey using purposive sampling was distributed via email to all RT clinical sites. The survey asked questions about the requirements of a pass grade for students at different stages of their program, and the addition of a new category of assessment related to fitness to practise. Response types included both forced choice closed ended responses and open ended responses. There was also a section for open commen...
It is commonly accepted that radiation therapy is a rapidly evolving profession with an astonishi... more It is commonly accepted that radiation therapy is a rapidly evolving profession with an astonishing rate of technological development. Accordingly there is much data in the literature concerning this from international studies. A Canadian study1 examined the availability of IMRT between 2006 and 2010, while regular longitudinal studies into infrastructure allow for trends in technology availability to be determined in Korea2 and Japan.3,4 There is a big difference, however, between availability of resources and actual usage with many factors affecting both referral rates5 and implementation6 of the available technology and equipment; the resource-hungry nature of commissioning frequently restricting usage.7 A 2010 UK study8 remains one of the few to investigate the link between availability and use of technology and determined that lack of personnel and funding was a common inhibitory factor. It is important to note that availability of technology was not the dominating factor in mo...
This paper describes the development of a peer review of teaching model for the Faculty of Health... more This paper describes the development of a peer review of teaching model for the Faculty of Health at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The process involved using the nominal group technique to engage Faculty academic staff to consider seven key decision points that informed the development of the peer review of teaching model. Use of the consensus based nominal group technique established collegial discussion and networking among participants, and has expanded the discussion within the Faculty about peer review of teaching. Although the academics come from a diverse multi-school and multi-program Faculty, there was high levels of consensus on the structure and process of the developed peer review of teaching model.
The purpose of this research was to assess (i) how confident Radiation Therapists (RTs) are in de... more The purpose of this research was to assess (i) how confident Radiation Therapists (RTs) are in developing a series of plans that have increasing levels of difficulty, and (ii) the level of responsibility that they are willing to accept in relation to these treatments being implemented without the Radiation Oncologist (RO) reviewing or countersigning the plan. A self-administered questionnaire was designed
Purpose: i/ To compare the differences between the acute skin reaction of patients undergoing rad... more Purpose: i/ To compare the differences between the acute skin reaction of patients undergoing radiation therapy to the breast or chest wall washing with water and a mild cleansing agent (pH=7), and patients washing with water only, and ii/ to determine whether there is any psychological benefit for those patients washing with water and a mild cleansing agent compared to those washing with water only. Methods: Forty three (43) patients receiving tangential radiation therapy for early stage primary breast cancer were randomised to one of two treatment arms: Group 1 - washing with water and a mild cleansing agent (21 patients). Group 2 - washing with water only (22 patients). Acute skin reaction was assessed weekly by a radiation oncologist and radiation therapist using a modified EORTC/RTOG skin reaction scale. Acute skin reaction and psychological benefit was assessed by the patient using a weekly diary skin assessment card. Statistical analysis of the differences in skin reaction an...
The need for health professionals to reflect on practice and incorporate reflection into their li... more The need for health professionals to reflect on practice and incorporate reflection into their life long learning repertoire is not new. Many health professional programs at Universities use journaling as a tool to facilitate, encourage and foster insightful and reflective thinking, with an aim to develop future health professionals with skills to become reflective practitioners in the workplace. During their professional placements, undergraduate radiation therapy (RT) students at the University of Newcastle, Australia, write a personal development journal, describing their journey from novice to graduate practitioner. The full three year set of journals from one intake of students have been subjected to both qualitative descriptive analysis to describe the professional practice situations that students report on, and reflective analysis to describe the evidence of reflection. This paper focuses on the development of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool (NRAT) to analyse the jour...
The traditional context of learning in a University is that of a student engaged in learning and ... more The traditional context of learning in a University is that of a student engaged in learning and assessment as an individual learner (a solo learner), in a behaviorist model of teacher centered instruction. Most of the educational research undertaken which reviews students’ conceptions of learning and the qualitative outcomes of learning, has been undertaken in the solo learner context, in a direct instruction model of teaching. In the mid-1980s Australian workplaces identified the need for graduates to have a wide range of skills which made them highly adaptable to the modern workplace. These skills included those associated with working in teams. By the late 1990s Australian universities were introducing group work learning as a way to provide graduates with an experience in collaborative learning and social constructivist learning contexts. However, little research has been conducted that identifies the learning outcomes of group work learning. The research reported in this thesi...
The treatment of early stage breast cancer often involves a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy (1)... more The treatment of early stage breast cancer often involves a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy (1). A seroma is a collection of fluid that may be present at the site of the lumpectomy post- surgery which, if identified on CT-simulation, can be used as a proxy for the primary breast cancer tumour site (2, 3). This study specifically seeks to analyse the CT-simulation data of post-lumpectomy breast cancer patients to quantify the incidence of, and describe the presence of, seromas detectable on CT-simulation data. The project forms part of a research higher degree study investigating i/ the utility of 3D Ultrasound system in detecting post-surgical breast seroma in early stage breast cancer, and ii/ its role in radiation therapy to verify correct treatment positioning.
ABSTRACT Aim This study compared the acute toxicities reported during radiotherapy treatment usin... more ABSTRACT Aim This study compared the acute toxicities reported during radiotherapy treatment using either intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to deliver a moderate hypo-fractionated treatment for early-stage prostate cancer.Material and methods Acute toxicities are routinely reported at the clinical site for all patients using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Toxicity assessment is performed on day 1 of treatment, then once weekly thereafter. The recorded toxicities of 40 cases treated with five-field IMRT, and 32 cases treated using VMAT were retrospectively compared. All cases were prescribed 73·68 Gy in 28 fractions. Eight symptoms were assessed; diarrhoea, proctitis, fatigue, pain, dermatitis, urinary frequency, urinary retention and urinary tract pain.Results In terms of the overall toxicity recorded, VMAT was shown to reduce the toxicities of dermatitis, fatigue, pain and urinary frequency (p<0·05). Using IMRT, grade 2 toxicities were reported for proctitis, pain, urinary frequency, urinary retention and urinary tract pain. Using VMAT, grade 2 toxicities were reported for urinary frequency and urinary retention.Findings The research reported here is one of the first publications to demonstrate that VMAT is associated with decreased toxicities compared with IMRT for the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer.
Purpose: The Australian Universities Radiation Therapy Student Clinical Assessment Form (AURTSCAF... more Purpose: The Australian Universities Radiation Therapy Student Clinical Assessment Form (AURTSCAF) was designed to assess the clinical skills of radiation therapy (RT) students from the six universities that offer entry level RT programs. Given the AURTSCAF has now been in use for over two years, the Radiation Therapy Program Coordinators (RTPC) group initiated a post implementation evaluation survey. This formed the final phase of the AURTSCAF project and was funded by the Radiation Oncology Division of the Department of Health and Ageing. Methods: A cross-sectional designed survey using purposive sampling was distributed via email to all RT clinical sites. The survey asked questions about the requirements of a pass grade for students at different stages of their program, and the addition of a new category of assessment related to fitness to practise. Response types included both forced choice closed ended responses and open ended responses. There was also a section for open commen...
It is commonly accepted that radiation therapy is a rapidly evolving profession with an astonishi... more It is commonly accepted that radiation therapy is a rapidly evolving profession with an astonishing rate of technological development. Accordingly there is much data in the literature concerning this from international studies. A Canadian study1 examined the availability of IMRT between 2006 and 2010, while regular longitudinal studies into infrastructure allow for trends in technology availability to be determined in Korea2 and Japan.3,4 There is a big difference, however, between availability of resources and actual usage with many factors affecting both referral rates5 and implementation6 of the available technology and equipment; the resource-hungry nature of commissioning frequently restricting usage.7 A 2010 UK study8 remains one of the few to investigate the link between availability and use of technology and determined that lack of personnel and funding was a common inhibitory factor. It is important to note that availability of technology was not the dominating factor in mo...
This paper describes the development of a peer review of teaching model for the Faculty of Health... more This paper describes the development of a peer review of teaching model for the Faculty of Health at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The process involved using the nominal group technique to engage Faculty academic staff to consider seven key decision points that informed the development of the peer review of teaching model. Use of the consensus based nominal group technique established collegial discussion and networking among participants, and has expanded the discussion within the Faculty about peer review of teaching. Although the academics come from a diverse multi-school and multi-program Faculty, there was high levels of consensus on the structure and process of the developed peer review of teaching model.
The purpose of this research was to assess (i) how confident Radiation Therapists (RTs) are in de... more The purpose of this research was to assess (i) how confident Radiation Therapists (RTs) are in developing a series of plans that have increasing levels of difficulty, and (ii) the level of responsibility that they are willing to accept in relation to these treatments being implemented without the Radiation Oncologist (RO) reviewing or countersigning the plan. A self-administered questionnaire was designed
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