The Strategic Agenda for Medical Ionising Radiation Applications (SAMIRA) is a tender with the European Commission (EC) Directorate General for Energy (DG ENER) to improve the quality and safety of medical applications of ionising radiation. Medical uses of ionising radiation are an essential component of modern medical diagnosis and treatment. However, there are high levels of heterogeneity with regard to the hospitals, health systems and applications for ionising radiation throughout European member states. There are also remarkable discrepancies in both access to equipment and the availability of appropriately educated staff to operate equipment safely.

This project within the SAMIRA action plan will focus on the definition of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in the Quality and Safety of medical applications of ionising radiation with a specific objective to propose a set of common quality and safety indicators. An EU-level system encompassing easy-to-use and manageable Quality and Safety KPIs will allow data to be collected, aggregated, and reported at a national level. The points of particular focus for the study are developing a common set of indicators that provide a quantitative and/or qualitative assessment of the effects and practical aspects of implementation of relevant Basic Safety Standards Directive (BSSD) requirements. The indicators should also allow evaluation of the effect of SAMIRA actions at the national and EU level.

This proposal was prepared by Technopolis Group -a leading international research and consulting organisation - in collaboration with the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), European Society of Radiology (ESR), European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and individual experts. The consortium brings together the main European stakeholders with experience working in the medical application of ionising radiation.

ESTRO is well placed to contribute to this project both a dedicated committee for quality and safety ROSQC and the ESTRO Physics Committee of which quality and safety would fall under their remit. In addition, ESTRO annually runs two courses dedicated to quality and safety with a multidisciplinary faculty and also promotes safer radiotherapy practice through the provision of an incident reporting and learning platform - Radiation Oncology Safety Education and Information System (ROSEIS). ESTRO will be active within the SAMIRA project through the ROSQC and other expert members.

Prof. Philippe MAINGON
On behalf of the ROSQC

Radiation Oncology Department

AP-HP. Sorbonne Université

GH La Pitié Salpêtrière

Paris, France