2.5 - Patient Safety
What features of the linac and bunker are in place to ensure patient safety during treatment?
Linac Features
- Emergency stop systems
- Emergency stops allow therapists to stop treatment in the event of a linac colliding with the patient or if the patient becomes unstable during treatment
- Interlocks
- These prevent treatment from being delivered unless the required machine components are in place and the radiation therapists are happy with the setup
- Record and Verify system
- Record and verify systems record the position and settings of each linear accelerator treatment. These can then be used to ensure the patient is set up in the same position during future treatments
Bunker Features
- Audiovisual Monitoring
- Linac bunkers typically have 1 - 2 video cameras which can observe the room. This allows staff in the bunker to monitor the patient during treatment.
- If the patient requires monitoring, one of the cameras can be focussed on the monitor screen. This allows staff to monitor patient vital signs.
