First Clinical Audit within the CAT-ClinART Project Successfully Completed

The CAT-ClinART project has successfully completed its first clinical audit in Radiotherapy, marking an important milestone within the training programme for future clinical auditors in Catalonia. The audit was conducted at ICO Hospitalet and involved professionals from the Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics departments.

The audit represented a demanding yet highly valuable experience. ICO Hospitalet is the largest radiotherapy centre in Catalonia, serving a reference population of 1.5 million people and delivering approximately 3,700 external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) treatments per year across six treatment units. Conducting the first pilot audit in such a high-volume centre provided essential insights for the development of future audits.

The four-day training audit was led by international auditors Primož Strojan and Andreas Osztavics, whose expertise and rigorous approach were key to the success of the process. The audit also served as a hands-on training opportunity for Catalan auditors in training Noe Ventosa, Maria Lizondo, and Dr Carme Ares, whose strong commitment and active participation contributed significantly to the exercise.

Special recognition is extended to the team at ICO Hospitalet for being the first department audited within this pilot series. Their openness, trust, and collaboration created a constructive environment that laid a strong foundation for the continuation of the project.

The CAT-ClinART project involves all public radiotherapy and medical physics departments in Catalonia, in collaboration with the Catalan Health Authorities and the CND. It is led by Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and supported by the EU4Health Programme through HaDEA, in alignment with the European Commission’s SAMIRA Action Plan.

This first audit also provided important lessons that will inform future activities. In particular, it highlighted the importance of the entrance meeting to ensure that all staff clearly understand the purpose and methodology of the audit, including the combined use of observation and questioning to explore the rationale behind clinical procedures. Based on this experience, future audits will include pre-audit online meetings to foster early alignment and staff engagement. Clear agreements on communication will also be established, including the definition of red lines and the creation of a safe environment where concerns can be openly expressed.

These lessons are already being incorporated into the preparation of the next audit, scheduled to take place at Vall d’Hebron in January 2026, as CAT-ClinART continues to advance toward quality improvement and patient safety in radiotherapy.