The Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service (ACDS) is a world class independent dosimetry auditing program that aims to provide a high standard of quality assurance and patient safety in radiation therapy across Australia and New Zealand. Operating since February 2011, it offers a multi-level audit service on a four-year subscription basis to radiotherapy providers. Our comprehensive radiotherapy audit services allow benchmarking of audit results of the Australian and New Zealand dataset.
Our vision
We strive to be a world leading dosimetry auditing service by providing the highest level of quality assurance and patient safety in radiation therapy.
Our mission
We aim to guide, support, and improve patient safety and radiotherapy service delivery by:
- Providing a comprehensive suite of audit modalities covering all common clinical practices
- Improving national dosimetry capabilities in clinical treatment delivery
- Offering our services to Australian and overseas radiotherapy centres on a fee-for-service basis
Our mission is aligned with Key Activity 1 of ARPANSA and its initiative to ‘Initiate, maintain, and promote frameworks for protection and safety’.
The ACDS is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) which offers dosimetry audits to meet:
- Radiation Oncology Practice Standards (ROPS)
- Radiation Oncology Health Program Grants (ROHPG) funding
- Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) clinical trial credentialling
- Jurisdictional radiation license requirements
Radiation Oncology Practice Standards
ACDS audits may be used towards dosimetric intercomparison as outlined in the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards (Part A, Standard 15, Appendix 5; Part B, Standard 15). The audit program ensures compliance with the ROPS to ensure that radiation dose is accurately delivered in a radiation therapy facility and is aligned with the requirements of ROHPG.
Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) & Clinical Trial Credentialling
ACDS audits may be used towards clinical trial accreditation for TROG trials. Requirements for each individual trial may vary and will be at the discretion of the trial physicist.
Please contact qa@trog.com.au for further information.
Affiliations:
Global Harmonization Group (GHG)
The ACDS is an observer member of the Global Quality Assurance of Radiation Therapy Clinical Trials Harmonization Group (GHG). The group consists of clinical trial quality assurance offices and auditing bodies around the world and aims to harmonise and improve clinical trial QA in radiation therapy worldwide.
Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston
The ACDS and IROC Houston Quality Assurance Center have a Memorandum of Understanding of Mutual Recognition of the dosimetric audit equivalence for the Level I OSLD audits. The agreement recognises technical equivalence and the frequency of both organisations’ OSLD mail out audit. In practice this means that a facility may provide ACDS Level I OSLD results where there is a requirement for an IROC OSLD audit (such as in a clinical trial). This agreement is maintained by regular intercomparisons of the mail out audit by the ACDS and IROC.
Contact ACDS
For all enquiries, please get in touch via email or phone:
Email: acds@arpansa.gov.au
Phone: +61 3 9433 2220
See below for more information about the ACDS
