On February 21, The Michener Institute was host to oncology technology experts, manufacturers and clinical and academic experts at the annual Canadian MOSAIQ User Group Meeting. The event is a face-to-face forum to share best practices, discuss application and implementation issues and to put forward recommendations for future product development.
MOSAIQ, an Elekta product, is the predominant operating system used in North America for managing oncology treatment patient records. Elekta, a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders, is considered to be the world leader in the design and manufacturing of Radiation Therapy equipment.
According to Marc Potvin, Manager, Academic Business Development at Michener and the MOSAIQ meeting coordinator, having professional networking opportunities such as the MOSAIQ User Group Meeting is important to advancing healthcare.
“Since MOSAIQ is a highly flexible system that allows for customization, there is a need to come together as practitioners to discuss how it is being used in various environments,” says Marc. “By bringing together the oncology community, we create a forum that advances the practice and patient care.”
MOSAIQ users came from a variety of clinical sites across Canada to share their experiences and facilitated discussions on the use of various modules, including Medical Oncology. One presenter, Michener alumna Leann Ban, a 2013 Radiation Therapy graduate, said that for her, value was created in the inter-organizational discussion amongst multidisciplinary practitioners.
“The MOSAIQ meeting gave me the opportunity to learn about the different ways that the MOSAIQ modules have been employed at cancer sites across Canada,” she explains. “It was a great way to learn about implementation initiatives, best practices, and the application of data mining and knowledge management in oncology.”
Aided by an ongoing partnership with Elekta, this is just one example of how Michener is able to act as a hub that enables the development and application of new technologies, practices and models that will advance health system priorities.
Through their generous capital donations, including two Linear Accelerator treatment units, Elekta is an important partner for the Radiation Therapy Program at Michener.
“Our students and faculty gain exposure to the latest technologies,” says Marc. “At the same time, we are able support Elekta by developing educational programs and solutions for their products.”
