What are some practices that a radiologic technologist can follow to reduce radiation given to patients?

Time:

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What You Should Know About Radiation
Taking Big Steps to Lower Radiation for Our Patients
Lowering Radiation from CT Scans
Accreditation Is Important for Radiology Centers
Schedule an Appointment by Calling us at 734-936-4500.
What is the radiology profession doing to minimize the risks to patients?
Several things:

“Time” simply refers to the amount of time you spend near a radioactive source. Minimize your time near a radioactive source to only what it takes to get the job done. If you are in an area where radiation levels are elevated,

complete your work as quickly as possible, and then
leave the area.

There is no reason to spend more time around it than necessary.

For an example of minimizing time, click here

Distance:

“Distance” refers to how close you are to a radioactive source. Maximize your distance from a radioactive source as much as you can. If you increase your distance, you decrease your dose.

For an example of maximizing distance, click here

Shielding:

To shield yourself from a radiation source, you need to put something between you and the radiation source. The most effective shielding will depend on what kind of radiation the source is emitting. Some radionuclides emit more than one kind of radiation.

For an example of using shielding, click here

The University of Michigan’s Department of Radiology is committed to lowering radiation exposure for our patients. From utilizing the latest equipment for quicker studies to performing patient exams at the lowest radiation exposure necessary, your safety is our priority.

What You Should Know About Radiation

While no large-scale studies on cancer risks from diagnostic radiation exist, data from the Japanese A-bomb survivors exposed to low levels of radiation suggests that frequent exposure to the low levels of radiation may increase the risk of eventually developing cancer, particularly if the person is young.
Radiation is often measured in units known as sieverts. A threshold typically used is 100 thousandths of a sievert, or 100 millisieverts (mSv). Below 100 mSv, don’t worry; above that number, we think you’re at increased risk. Our average radiation dose at the Univeristy of Michigan is now 9 mSv.
Patients should look for an imaging facility that is accredited and physicians who are board-certified, which will increase chances for the best study at the lowest dose.
You don’t have to have any examination recommended. However, it’s a tradeoff: If you get the exam, you get the diagnostic information needed. If you don’t get the exam, you save the radiation, but don’t get the diagnostic information.
The most important message regarding radiation is that of relative risk. Patients are virtually always better off having a needed imaging study than avoiding the modest radiation associated with it.

Taking Big Steps to Lower Radiation for Our Patients

We have pursued several important measures to minimize radiation exposure without sacrificing image quality, including:

Our Physics Quality Control Group works in conjunction with radiologists and technologists to identify and purchase imaging systems with features that minimize radiation dose.
Digital X-ray detectors, special X-ray beam filters, and other new technologies reduce radiation doses in radiography, mammography, and fluoroscopy.
Utilize more sensitive nuclear medicine imaging equipment (such as single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography scanners) lets us use smaller doses of radiotracers (a radioactive molecule used in certain imaging tests to help find problems in the body).
We limit the region of the body being scanned/ x-rayed to the smallest possible area.
Test all systems to ensure they’re performing correctly.
Focus on ways to further reduce radiation exposure through ongoing research with our Engineering Department.

Lowering Radiation from CT Scans

CT (computed tomography) studies – known as a CT scan or CAT scan – have skyrocketed in popularity because they are an extremely effective tool in the diagnosis and management of disease, utilized for everything from identifying areas of the brain affected by strokes and head injuries, to detecting abnormalities of the lungs, to diagnosing abdominal diseases such as appendicitis, to assessing coronary artery disease. In ERs, CT exams are the tool of choice because of their speed and diagnostic accuracy.

Measure we take to reduce radiation from CT scans include:

Customizing the scanning based on the size and weight of the patient or the body part being scanned.
Eliminating unnecessary exams.
Investing in CT scanners with the latest hardware and software tools that minimize radiation exposure. We utilize the General Electric Discovery CT750 HD, which provides up to a 50% lower dose of radiation for our patients, along with high-definition image quality for any part of the body.
Our Radiation Exposure Registry, currently in development, will provide benchmarks for determining the optimal level of radiation for each CT exam.
In a Blue Cross Blue Shield quality improvement study of 40 hospitals and imaging practices, called the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Consortium, our Cardiac Computed Tomography team reduced our average CT radiation exposure by 43 percent.
Utilizing MRI or ultrasound, if either is considered an effective alternative.

Accreditation Is Important for Radiology Centers

Always ask if the imaging facility has been accredited. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved three bodies to accredit diagnostic imaging programs: the American College of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission and The Joint Commission. (Only one of the three accrediting bodies is required to accredit a facility.) There are five requirements for accreditation:

Personnel qualifications for non-physician medical staff, medical directors, and supervising physicians
Image quality
Equipment performance
Safety standards for staff and patients
Quality assurance and quality control

So far, this accreditation process is mandatory for outpatient facilities only, but it is very likely to become mandatory for hospitals, too. The University of Michigan has received American College of Radiology accreditation for many of our facilities already, both in the outpatient setting and at the hospital. Soon, all of our facilities will be accredited.

Schedule an Appointment by Calling us at 734-936-4500.

Medical imaging offers tremendous benefits in the care of patients. While there is arguably some potential risk from radiation, this risk—if it exists—is so small that it is difficult to prove. The suspected risk is partly based on projections from the incidence of induced cancer in large populations of people exposed to radiation levels far higher than those encountered in diagnostic imaging. What we do know is that even small potential risks can be further reduced by reducing exposure to radiation. The medical profession is working hard to ensure that patients are given appropriate imaging tests that use as little radiation as possible.

What is the radiology profession doing to minimize the risks to patients?

Several things:

Medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals recognize the importance of keeping the radiation dose to their patients as low as necessary, while still using an adequate amount to ensure they obtain a diagnostic quality image. The practice of minimizing radiation exposure to patients, medical workers, and others has become standard in radiology practices.
A meeting of prominent radiologists, medical physicists and other members of the radiology community convened in 2006 to address the growth of exposure to radiation in medical imaging and to suggest methods for managing the risks to patients. The panel's public white paper was published in 2007 and updated in 2010.
Image Gently® is a collaborative initiative of radiology professional organizations (as well as other groups and individuals). Its goal is to change radiology practice by increasing the awareness of opportunities for lowering radiation dose when imaging children.
Image Wisely® is an awareness campaign with the goals of eliminating unnecessary imaging exams and lowering doses in those exams that are necessary.
Accreditation programs, such as those offered by the American College of Radiology (ACR), accredit facilities that have established their imaging competence. Imaging competence means the facility adheres to guidelines, utilizes personnel with appropriate qualifications, and demonstrates their awareness of the need for ongoing quality control involving their equipment and personnel. Facilities seeking accreditation for imaging procedures that use ionizing radiation must demonstrate that their doses do not exceed established levels.
Appropriateness Criteria®, developed by the ACR, are designed to assist referring physicians and radiologists in prescribing the best radiology examination for their patients based on symptoms and circumstances. Each option displays the relative radiation level associated with the procedure being considered. This helps to reduce the number of examinations by assuring that the most suitable exam is done first.
A Dose Index Registry is available to CT facilities nationwide. It is a repository of dose-related information that can provide facilities a mechanism for comparing their exams to those of other facilities, nationally, regionally, and locally. By comparing themselves to others, facilities can determine if the radiation dose from their procedures is within appropriate ranges.
The American Board of Radiology requires that certified radiologists be familiar with radiation safety issues. Radiation management is a component of their board certifying examinations. The Board has also included a similar section in the maintenance of certification criteria for radiologists who have been initially certified; material includes opportunities for self-assessment as well as practice quality improvement in radiation protection. This means that ongoing education in radiation management is required for Board Certified medical imaging professionals.
Certified radiologic technologists, nuclear medicine technologists and radiation therapists receive extensive education in radiation safety and protection during their education. They are tested on these subjects during their certification examinations. In addition, many states that license medical imaging professionals require them to earn continuing education credits in radiation safety topics.
The radiological profession is working with manufacturers to improve the performance of their radiology equipment and monitor radiation usage so that physicians can determine in real time whether their radiation levels are acceptable. Manufacturers have also started to broadcast information on how to use their equipment most effectively through public media sites such as Image Wisely®.
The federal government, through agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has an impact on radiology safety. For instance, the government requires safety features for equipment and facility accreditation before providing monetary reimbursement of Medicare and Medicaid patient claims. Radiologists and technologists, through their professional societies, cooperate with these agencies in their efforts.

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This page was reviewed on April, 15, 2022

For more information about this and other radiology procedures, please visit Radiologyinfo.org