TH-D-BRB-04: Pinnacle Scripting: Improving Efficiency While Maintaining Safety.

Scripting capabilities and application programming interfaces (APIs) are becoming commonly available in modern treatment planning systems. These links to the treatment planning system (TPS) allow users to read data from the TPS, and in some cases use TPS functionality and write data back to the TPS. Such tools are powerful extensions, allowing automation of routine clinical tasks and supporting research, particularly research involving repetitive tasks on large patient populations. The data and functionality exposed by scripting/API capabilities is vendor dependent, as are the languages used by script/API engines, such as the Microsoft .NET framework or Python. Scripts deployed in a clinical environment must be commissioned and validated like any other software tool. This session will provide an overview of scripting applications and a discussion of best practices, followed by a practical introduction to the scripting capabilities of three commercial treatment planning systems.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Understand the scripting capabilities available in several treatment planning systems 2. Learn how to get started using scripting capabilities 3. Understand the best practices for safe script deployment in a clinical environment R. Popple, Varian Medical Systems has provided research support unrelated to the topic of this session.R. Cardan, Varian Medical Systems for grant research, product evaluation, and teaching honorarium.