Topics covered in this article include:

• Managing Templates
  •  Preset Templates
  • Creating Templates
  • Edit Test Description
  • Modifying a Template
  • Copying a Template
  • Merging Templates
• Managing Schedules
  • Adding a Schedule
  • Modifying a Schedule
  • Copy a Schedule
  • Ordering Sites, Machines, and Schedules

Managing QA Templates

Templates are custom sets of tests that can then be scheduled for the machines in your organization.

Default templates following the AAPM TG-142 recommendations are included in the available tests. (TG-142 Daily, TG-142 Monthly, TG-142 Annual). These can be edited to fit the test regimen your clinic performs. You can create custom sets of tests to meet any institutional, national, or local standard. Templates can be scheduled across multiple machines or you can create a custom template for each machine.

To manage your Templates click the Templates link in the Manage page.

Preset Templates

There are a number of preset templates that come automatically with your account corresponding to the AAPM TG 142 report. These preset templates may not be directly modified, but they can be copied and then modified as a quick way to start a template. They can be used directly as a basis for a QA schedule but this is not recommended as the test selection and order can not be modified later. You will find these templates at the end of the list of templates.

Creating Templates

This walk through will show you how to create a new template. Editing a template is done in a similar manner.

Navigate to the "Manage - Templates page.

Click the Add Template button in the upper left of the Manage QA Templates page. The Create QA Template page will appear.

Name your template and provide a description if desired. Here you can create and name a generic template (for example Daily, Monthly, Imaging etc) which later can be assigned to multiple machines and clinical sites.

Select the device type you are establishing the template for (i.e. Linac, CT, etc). You may choose more than one device type. 

Make sure the status is set to active and click the Continue button.

On the left-hand side of your screen, you will find all the tests that are available grouped by TG142 table, test frequency and test type that can be added to your template. Note that only tests that are associated with the selected device type(s) selected above will be available for selection.

• Check the boxes of the tests you wish to assign to this template.
• The tests are organized into groups corresponding to the tables laid out in TG142. The groups are initially collapsed. Click on the arrow at the top of the group to open. There are some additional groups of non-TG142 tests towards the end of the list (e.g., HDR tests).
• Groups may have subgroups that correspond to types of tests such as safety, mechanical, or dosimetry tests.
• Within the subgroups are individual tests. These are the actual tests for which you enter data or attach documents.
• You may select all the tests within a subgroup or customize your list to match the activities at your institution.
• The tests you select will appear on the right side of the web page. To match your workflow, you can adjust the order in which the tests appear in the template by clicking and dragging the blue double sided arrows and moving them up or down. Individual tests within a section can be moved, or move an entire test group to fit the order in which you perform your tests.
• Instructions or a description can be added to each section by clicking the Edit Description button below each section name.

Once you have selected all the tests for that template click the Save button on the bottom left of the page under the available tests box.

This will take you back to the Manage Templates page where you will see a notice in the bottom right corner with a green notification saying “Template added” to indicate that the template was properly added and stored in the database.

If you receive a red notification that your template was unable to be added, please try again and if the problem persists contact customer support.

Edit Test Description

Navigate to the "Manage - Templates page.

Click on the Edit test descriptions button located in the upper right hand corner.

All templated test groups will appear in their order. To edit a description, find the test in its group by clicking the drop down arrow on the right, followed by Modify, located to the right of the test name.

The "Edit test descriptions" window will appear, and you will be able to modify the description. When finished, click the Update button and the change will be saved.

Modifying a Template

Navigate to the "Manage - Templates page.

Click the Modify button of the Template that you wish to modify. The Edit Template page will appear.

Follow the steps for adding a template and edit any of the fields.

Once you have made all your changes for that template click the Continue button on the bottom left of the page under the available tests box.

This will take you back to the Manage Templates page where you will see a green notice in the bottom right corner stating “Template updated” to indicate that the template was properly updated and stored in the database.

If you receive a red notice that your template was unable to be updated, please try again and if the problem persists contact customer support.

Copying a Template

Navigate to the "Manage - Templates page.

Click on the Copy button of the template you wish to copy.

Optionally give the copy a unique name. Once you click on Yes a duplicate template will be created with the same test selection as the original. The new template can then be modified and customized.

Merging Templates

Navigate to the "Manage - Templates page.

Click the Modify button of the template that you wish to modify. The Edit Template page will appear. At the bottom of the page click the "Merge templates" to expand the "Merge templates" section:

Selecting a template in the left pane will bring the tests associated with the template into the right pane:

Clicking the Merge button will add the sections and tests from the right pane into template. If the same test is in multiple sections a dialogue will appear to resolve which section to place the test. Click the Use button under the desired section where the test should be placed:

The template can now be further modified or saved.

Managing Schedules

Once templates have been created they can be assigned and scheduled for the machines in your organization. 

To assign your templates, navigate to the "Manage - Schedule Configurations" page.

The Manage Schedule Configurations page will appear with the sites and their associated machines will appear. Each machine will have the currently assigned templates listed under it.

To update or change a schedule, click on the individual template.

 

Adding a Schedule

Locate the site and machine to which you want to add a template and click the Add QA schedule button.

• On the top is a scrolling menu of the templates you have created. Select which template you wish to use. That template will be highlighted in blue upon selection.
• Indicate which users will be able to perform and access this test (ex: Daily Linac QA performed by a therapist, or Monthly Linac QA performed by a Physicist).
• Set the Status to active. If you set a status to inactive the template will not appear on the Schedules page.
• On the right, create a name for this schedule (ex: LINAC 1, or 4 Slice CT simulator). The default is the name of the template you have selected.
• Select the frequency for which you wish to have this schedule performed. When a schedule is chosen as Ad-hoc, a checkbox giving the option "No start date" is available to the right of the "Starts on" date. Selecting "No start date" will disable the ability for alerts for upcoming schedules as well as alerts for overdue schedules. Below are the details for each frequency:
  • Daily:  the report date is compared to the next due date. If the report date is on or after the next due date, the next due date will advance to the next day. If weekdays is selected, weekends will be skipped.
  • Weekly:  the report date is compared to the next due date. If a single weekday is selected and the report date is on or after the next due date or the report date is 5 or fewer days before the next due date, the next due date will advance to the next period (1, 2, or 3 weeks as selected in the schedule). If multiple weekdays are selected and the report date is not in the past, the due date will move to the next selected day of the week. Once the selected week days are exhausted, the due date will move to the next period (1, 2, or 3 weeks as selected in the schedule).
  • Monthly:  the report date is compared to the next due date. If the report date is on or after the next due date or the report date is 25 or fewer days before the next due date, the next due date will advance to the next month.
  • Yearly:  the report date is compared to the next due date. If the report date is on or after the next due date or the report date is 60 or fewer days before the next due date, the next due date will advance to the next year.

• Select the date to begin performing this schedule.
• After establishing a frequency, select when you would like to have that schedule repeated (for example daily on weekdays for Linac Daily QA, once a month for monthly’s).
• Select when you would like this template to terminate if at all.

Next, click the Update schedule button to finalize your template. This will take you back to the Manage QA schedules page and give a green notice in the bottom right corner indicating that the “QA schedule added/updated”.

If you receive a red notification that your schedule was unable to be added/updated, please try again and if the problem persists contact customer support.

Modifying a Schedule

To modify a schedule, click on the schedule name next to the machine. The Edit QA Schedule page will appear. The settings are the same as when adding the schedule.

Copy a Schedule

After setting up a schedule complete with QA settings, baselines, and tolerances you may want to apply the schedule to a different machine. To copy a schedule to a new machine:

1. Click the Schedule link in the Manage Service page.
2. You will see each schedule assigned for all the machines you have access to.
3. Next to each schedule is a copy icon. Click on the copy icon to copy the schedule.
4. In the dialog give the new schedule a name and assign it to equipment from the drop down.
5. The schedule will be copied and you will be taken to the configuration screen for the newly created schedule.

Note that if the original schedules QA settings use calibrated QA equipment that does not have a calibration set for the new equipment then that part of the settings will not be copied and you will see a warning.

Ordering Sites, Machines, and Schedules

From the Manage Schedule Configurations page, click the Order Sites/Machines/Schedules button:

Once the button is clicked sites, machines, and schedules can be moved by dragging the title to the desired location. Note that machines must stay within the site to which they belong. Similarly, schedules can be reordered but cannot be moved to a different machine. The changes are immediate. When finished click the Back button or navigate to another page to leave the order mode.