Exploring the use of data envelopment analysis for formative evaluation in oncology: an application to radiotherapy services

Radiotherapy is an important element in cancer treatment, both for cure and for palliation. Whilst performance measurement and performance improvement are a major concern of most radiotherapy departments, measuring and managing the performance of these departments is particularly challenging. This paper critically evaluates the use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for formative evaluation of radiotherapy departments. The paper begins by providing the theoretical background of the research. The applicability of DEA to assess the performance of radiotherapy departments is then analysed. The paper concludes with some closing remarks