ABSTRACT
Chances are that the reader, having picked up this book and gotten this far, needs no convincing that quality assurance, QA, serves an indispensable role in preventing patient injury and minimizing down time for the equipment used. Appreciation for the value of QA frequently follows some disaster that easily could have been avoided by a simple check beforehand. In many facilities, the quality assurance programme for brachytherapy seems driven by compliance with governmental regulations. Such a focus misses the opportunity to customize the programme to the individuality of the clinical practice, and may well fall short in important items not covered by laws and rules.
