Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38774097›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2024

Continuous quality improvement project to reduce the downtime of medical linear accelerators: A case study at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital.

Qi-Peng Lu, Yong Wu, Xiao-Dong Mao, Hua-Jun Wan, Jian Shao, Qi-Kai Yu, Wei Zhang, Yue Zhao, Ci-Yong Wang

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Qi-Peng LuDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Yong WuDepartment of Purchasing, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Xiao-Dong MaoDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Hua-Jun WanDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Jian ShaoDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Qi-Kai YuDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Wei ZhangDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Yue ZhaoDepartment of Purchasing, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.
Ci-Yong WangDepartment of Medical Engineering, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), 310022, Hangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To analyse and continually improve existing issues in the quality improvement process of medical linear accelerators (LINACs) and enhance the quality control management of LINACs. Methods: Data were collected from eight LINACs (sourced from three manufacturers) at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital using Excel diaries between January 2019 and December 2020. The data description and analysis were performed using the analytic hierarchy process, SPSSAU and Excel software, and mean-time-to-repair (MTTR)/mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) metrics. Continuous quality improvement was executed using the quality control circle (QCC) quality management method. Results: After quality improvement, the risk frequency of 'LINAC down' events decreased by 43.63% and downtime was reduced by 40.45%. The weight of downtime risk improved by 73.69%. The MTTR recovery value increased by 31.90%, and MTBF reliability increased by 2.97 h. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed quality improvement measures could effectively decrease the frequency and duration of downtimes, consequently extending the normal operational time of LINACs. Conclusion: Transitioning from instant repair to preventative maintenance can enhance the operational efficiency of equipment and yield economic benefits for hospitals. The QCC method and the event risk evaluation model are effective in reducing the downtime of LINACs and improving their quality control management.

Indexed as

Mean time between failureMean time to repairMedical equipment managementMedical linear acceleratorsQuality control circleRisk weight

Identifiers

PMID38774097
PMCPMC11107096

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.