Improving Quality Assurance of Radiology Equipment Using Process Modelling and Multi-actor System Analysis

Abstract: With the introduction of RIS and PACS technologies in clinical radiology, the field has become increasingly technology dependent. The quality assurance in radiology have however yet to catch on. With many quality assurance programs mainly focusing on the clinical side of radiology whilst little attention is paid to the technical aspects. This thesis serves to change that, by investigating quality assurance of radiology equipment in the workflow of hospital physicists and biomedical engineers at Södersjukhuset emergency hospital. To improve said workflows, process modelling and multi-actor system analysis was utilized in combination with the on-site inventory system Medusa. In order to model the workflows, the process modelling technique flowchart was used. To add additional information into the flowcharts, multi-actor system analysis was employed. This was done for the workflow of both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of radiology equipment. Initially resulting in a pair of pre-study models which modelled the after the existing workflows. From said pair of pre-study models, both redundancies and main objectives for improvement were deduced. This in combination with an extensive semistructured literature review, led to a list of requirements. Two pairs of improved models were then created with the list of requirements in mind. All the models were then evaluated, including the pair of pre-study models, in workshops held with hospital physicists, biomedical engineers and respective leadership staff. These workshops contained both an open discussion and a questionnaire, asking the participants to rate the alignment of the models with the different requirements in the list. Based on the results from the workshops, one of the proposed pairs of improved models were then chosen as the final solution of an improved workflow. A workflow in which redundancies were reduced, traceability capabilities added in form of digital storage, and alignment with legislative demands from SSM assured. A step in the digitalization of Södersjukhuset. Utilizing digital technology to improve quality assurance in the workflow of radiology equipment.