Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, part of East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, has upgraded its range of breast boards to improve patient comfort and optimise clinical efficiency.
The radiotherapy department, which treats over 4,200 patients a year, has already received positive feedback following the purchase of 11 MacroMedics BreastBoard LX units from Oncology Systems Limited (OSL).
The easily-adjustable and lightweight boards will enable reproducible day-to-day patient set-up, creating time efficiencies when used in conjunction with CT and linear accelerator systems.
Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is a centre of excellence for oncology that prides itself on delivering first-class technical treatments and patient care. The radiotherapy team will be using the new breast boards, which are designed to meet the latest requirements in breast treatment, to deliver comfort during innovative techniques. This includes Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) which decreases radiation dose delivered to the heart during the treatment of breast cancer. During use, treatment accuracy is ensured by the consistency, rigidity and stability of the boards.
The solution was chosen for its variability, with the boards offering a range of moving parts to ensure optimum comfort for a variety of patients with unique requirements. The boards have additional features to enhance patient comfort such as a solid, anatomically-shaped surface for the patient to lie on.
Optimised for the user, discreet settings and non-duplication of positions allow for ease of recording and rapid set-up. The equipment is also easy for staff to manoeuver to ensure a smooth and efficient service, and additionally an ergonomically-sound workplace.
“The radiotherapy department includes a team of 65 radiographers who rely on the most-efficient and patient-friendly technology,” said Oliver Shoffren, superintendent radiographer at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre.
“Our previous breast boards were becoming outdated so we sought to replace them with a modern alternative that would support departmental efficiencies. We trialled a number of boards, looking at criteria such as weight, storage and size for manageability, the design for patient comfort, and the cost effectiveness. Staff and patients were asked to feedback on each model and scores were collated accordingly. The MacroMedics BreastBoard LX came out on top.”
Stuart Baldwin, managing director at Oncology Systems, added: “We assessed Mount Vernon’s requirements for the replacement of its breast board range and the MacroMedics BreastBoard LX was an ideal solution.
“The cancer centre is at the forefront of radiotherapy treatment and we’ve worked closely with the team to ensure the new boards efficiently support both standard and innovative procedures, while maximising patient comfort.
“The lightweight, easily-manoeuvrable carbon fibre design will also help to support departmental workflow, so staff can spend less time on patient set up and more time on patient care.”
