Empirical Evaluation of Workload of the Radiation Oncology Physicist During Radiation Treatment Planning and Delivery

In recent years, the practice of radiation oncology has changed due to several technological advances. As such, there is growing interest in the evolving nature of safety and operational challenges faced by radiation oncology professionals. This research focuses on physicists who play an important role in the radiation therapy treatment planning and delivery process. Specifically, the purpose of our research is to assess their workload levels using the NASA TLX method in order to identify tasks that might compromise patient safety. Based on empirical observations, this study provides practical suggestions for lowering workload levels that ultimately can reduce the probability of errors.