Application of failure mode and effects analysis to optimization of linac quality controls protocol

Purpose To apply Failure Mode and Effects Analysis ( FMEA ) to optimize linac quality control ( QC ) protocol in order to ensure patient safety and treatment quality, taking maximum advantage of the available resources. Material and methods Each parameter tested by the QC was considered as a potential failure mode ( FM ). For each FM , likelihood of occurrence (O), severity of effect (S), and lack of detectability (D) were evaluated and...