Radiation therapists Rory Hartley and Toby Lowe
New technology removes language barrier to high-quality cancer care
to-use format. Toby said they are pleased the app is now being trialled at Royal North Shore Hospital. “We developed INSPIRE-RT to ensure that every patient, regardless of language or background, has the opportunity to receive the highest standard of radiation therapy,” he said. “It’s about fairness, dignity, and delivering truly inclusive care, and we are so pleased that it is now supporting the delivery of care. “We hope the technology will help reduce anxiety, increase take-up of the breath-hold technique and improve workflow efficiencies.” The innovative app is already gaining recognition with the Northern Sydney Cancer Centre therapists receiving a NSLHD Quality and Improvement Award. They have also been nominated for a NSW Health award in October. The development of the app was made possible by a generous philanthropic donation by the family of Brenda Grosz. Rory and Toby would like to extend their thanks for this crucial funding which transformed their idea from a concept to a functional tool which may eventually assist patients internationally.
Two enterprising radiation therapists from the Northern Sydney Cancer Centre have developed an innovative app to improve access to care for patients from diverse backgrounds. Based at Royal North Shore Hospital, Rory Hartley and Toby Lowe produced the INSPIRE- RT app following their experience with oncology patients, including those from a non- English speaking background. Rory said we know that it’s important for patients undergoing breast and liver radiation therapy to adopt the breath-hold technique to minimise the radiation dose to healthy organs such as the heart, lungs and abdominal structures. “But we were consistently seeing that patients from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds were not able to use the advanced technique due to language barriers, anxiety and a lack of understanding,” he said. “Concerned by the inequality in access to this important technique, we developed the mobile app to educate and coach patients to adopt the breath-hold model, and to translate the real-time coaching commands into seven commonly spoken languages.” INSPIRE-RT is a dedicated tool delivering visual and interactive instructions in an easy-
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 14| 8 AUGUST 2025
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