Author: Stephen M. Avery, Izabella L. Barreto, Oi-Wai Chau, Cesar Della Biancia, Beata Gontova Bernat, Amanda M. Jackson, Rao Khan, Eugene P. Lief, Osama R. Mawlawi, Wilfred F. Ngwa, Christopher F. Njeh, Peter Allan Sandwall, William Swanson, Joseph Weygand, Afua A. Yorke 👨🔬
Affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, VA Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, Champion Cancer Center, Howard University, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology and Applied Science, Dartmouth Health, University of Washington, University of Florida College of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, Emory University, University of Pennsylvania, OhioHealth, Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology 🌍
Purpose: To assess needs of medical physicists working in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs)
Methods: A survey was developed by AAPM’s Global Needs Assessment Committee (GNAC) in partnership with the AAPM International Council (IC) and a consulting firm, Survey Design & Analysis. The survey consisted of 58 questions, was available from April 2 to November 11, 2024, and was divided into five sections: Introduction, Infrastructure, Education, Research, and General Information.
Results: 308 complete responses were received from 58 countries spanning all 6 global regions: Africa (18.5%), Americas (34.1%), Eastern Mediterranean (8.8%), Europe (7.5%), South-East Asia (20.8%) and Western pacific (10.4%).
84.4% of respondents practice in radiation therapy, 32.6% in imaging, and 29.6% in nuclear medicine. 35.5% report practicing in more than one area.
The greatest overall needs identified by respondents were for qualified staff (41.2%) and new or updated equipment (35.7%).
The greatest infrastructure needs were training (53.2%), equipment (39.3%), and research expertise (38.6%).
Respondents indicated that the highest priorities for education support were clinical training (49.4%) and professional development/ continuous education (47.4%).
The primary research needs were funding (68.8%), research opportunities (58.8%) and qualified personnel (54.5%).
Conclusion: A 58-question survey assessing the needs of medical physicists working in LMICs was conducted. A total of 308 medical physicists from all six global regions completed the survey. The survey results will inform the efforts of the AAPM IC and other organizations.