The Australian clinical dosimetry service: The development and delivery of a national dosimetry audit

In February 2011, the Australian Government formally launched the Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service, ACDS, a three year trial to determine whether an independent auditing service can provide dosimetric and thus clinical support to radiation therapy patients and staff within Australia. The ACDS has designed a three level audit program, each succeeding level with a more complex and challenging geometry. Level I is operational, Level II is in final development and Level III is in preliminary testing. This ACDS is similar to other audit programs internationally, but is unique in its coverage, national participation, audit design and final review process. Now a year into operation, the philosophy behind the audit design, initial results and future projections are reviewed and discussed.