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Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | April 28, 2015
The industry can then also move to standardize Diagnostic Reference Levels, which will create more transparency and be communicated to patients in a meaningful way. By consistently informing patients about their radiation dose levels, they will remain engaged in understanding the right radiation dose for them and may even want to start tracking it on their own devices.
Some may argue that this is too much information for patients. The fact is that the concept of radiation dose to humans is inherently complicated and not an exact science, even with the most cutting-edge technology. This does not mean however that patients should NOT take steps to understand their dose.
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Radiation exposure carries risk and sharing this data in a meaningful way makes sense for transparent healthcare. The health care industry – caregivers, regulators and manufactures – all need to come together and establish a meaningful way to communicate this information as a part of the healthcare delivery process.
DOTmed News: What standards do you think are the most important?
DS: While the new Joint Commission standards have been revised to be implemented for diagnostic imaging services overall, there are three standards that will specifically apply to radiation dose management. The following requirements are particularly important in reducing risk:
Standard A.25 states that hospitals must adopt CT protocols based on current standards of practice, including specific patient’s treatment needs and body types.
Standard A.6 will require hospitals to review and analyze incidents where the radiation dose exceeded established external benchmarks.
Standard A.26 states that these radiation dose measurements must be conducted more frequently and the CT dose should verified as under the established benchmarks.
As I mentioned, the main goal is to generate meaningful data and utilize this in a structured way to refine and standardize radiology exams. Using these requirements in clinical practice will enhance or form the cornerstone for an effective radiation protection program in any radiology department.
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