A patient returns for a boost fraction after the plan was revised earlier in the week, yet the record-and-verify system still has the original plan loaded for today's slot, while the printed summary in the chart shows the revised dose and new isocenter coordinates. Which verification step should be completed before the beam is enabled?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
When the chart summary and loaded plan don’t match, you need to hold treatment and reconcile the loaded plan with the approved revision, including dose and isocenter. It’s like checking the right recipe before cooking: don’t enable the beam until the correct plan is loaded and verified.
Full Explanation
Record-and-verify software uses the parameters stored in the loaded plan, but the scenario shows that this plan may be stale: its dose and isocenter need to be reconciled with the approved revised plan before treatment. Hold the beam and follow department policy to resolve the discrepancy with the appropriate authorized personnel; do not treat based only on a comparison with a printed summary. Verifying identifiers, site, and image does not resolve the plan conflict. Checking energy, fields, isocenter, and image within the loaded plan also does not establish that the plan is the approved revision. Checking fraction count and surface marks does not resolve it either. Once the discrepancy is resolved, verify the correct plan and treatment parameters before proceeding.