Towards a decision support system for radiotherapy business continuity in a pandemic crisis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The business continuity of radiotherapy practice is of utmost importance for a safe, effective and efficient fight against cancer. Patients rely on uninterrupted therapies even under adverse conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has caught many radio- therapy institutions unprepared. Centers worldwide had to find ways to master the extraordinary challenges instantly. However, the lack of knowledge, specific guidelines and mitigation strategies exposed radiotherapy centres to unpredictable risks. Intelligent information systems can support the management of severe incidents. The aim of our research was to develop a decision support system that shall help to maintain safe, sustainable and efficient radiotherapy services in pandemic situa- tions. In this work, we present a text-based conversational agent that informs about mitigation measures for radiotherapy practice during a pandemic crisis.