Posts on Scott Crowe - Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist

Regulation of in-house developed radiation oncology software in Australia

sb.crowe@gmail.com (Scott Crowe) — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Regulation of in-house developed radiation oncology software in Australia

Software developed within radiation oncology departments can be used to facilitate improved patient care and improve the efficiency of various clinical processes. However the risks associated with the use of such software needs to be considered, as do legal or regulatory requirements associated with its development, supply and use. For this reason, the development and supply of software that can be considered as a medical device, software as a medical device (SaMD), is regulated by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA). Regulated SaMD developed in-house can only be used clinically (i.e. supplied) if approved by the TGA, or used within the context of a clinical trial.

Critical appraisal questions

sb.crowe@gmail.com (Scott Crowe) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Critical appraisal questions

The radiation oncology medical physics journal club at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital has three main objectives:

Learning about new developments, techniques, technologies, etc. within our discipline, particularly where relevant to current departmental practice.
Encouraging participation in research, the communication of research findings, and further journal reading.
Improving critical appraisal skills and scientific literacy.

This journal club is currently run monthly, with three papers (possibly including reviews or editorials, etc.) discussed in a round table style each meeting. In addition to this discussion, one physicist is asked to present one of the three discussed papers. To best serve the objectives of the journal club, I’ve provided the following critical appraisal questions to assist in developing a presentation or directing discussion:

Radium treatments of lesions

sb.crowe@gmail.com (Scott Crowe) — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Radium treatments of lesions

The following notes for the treatment of lesions using radium (beginning 1928 in Queensland) are taken from KM Hoffman’s The History of the Queensland Cancer Trust and the Queensland Radium Institute. Radium was most frequently used for surface lesions:

Advice for medical physics job interviews

sb.crowe@gmail.com (Scott Crowe) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Advice for medical physics job interviews

I’ve frequently received requests for advice from medical physics Masters graduates that have been offered interviews for trainee positions. In an earlier post I mentioned that poor interview preparedness was the most common complaint from heads of department regarding candidates. Given the competitiveness of the job market, candidates need to differentiate themselves from the typical “Masters graduate.” Here are some things to consider for positions in Australia:

The Rontgen rays

sb.crowe@gmail.com (Scott Crowe) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The Rontgen rays

Day after day brings new evidence of the utility of the Rontgen X-rays in surgery. This week, the Rev. D. Laseron, of Lithgow, paid a visit to St. Stanislaut College, Bathurst, to undergo an operation for the extraction of a bullet, when the X rays will be used to discover it. It will be remembered that some three years ago the Rev. Laseron was accidently shot by Mr. T. Walker, ex-M.P., whilst travelling in a railway carriage. Many attempts to find the bullet have hitherto failed. At Albury on Tuesday Dr. Cleaver Woods, in the presence of a large company, gave an interesting demonstration of the Rontgen X-rays, and with a fluorescent screen plainly showed metal substances through ordinary opaque substances. One of the party had had a portion of a fishhook embedded in his hand for 20 years, and the exact locality of the substance was disclosed.