Background/introduction
The Basic Safety Standards Directive (BSSD) 2013/59/Euratom is a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to govern the use of ionising radiation1.
The updated version,
implemented in 2018,
has a number of implications for European radiological practice.
It lays down basic safety standards for protection against the danger of ionising radiation,
strengthens requirements for recording and reporting doses from radiological procedures,
and emphasises the need for proper justification for medical exposure.
A key part of this legislation is the implementation of clinical audit to continually assess...
Description of activity and work performed
Clinical Audit
Clinical audit is defined by the BSSD as “a systematic examination or review of medical radiological procedures that seeks to improve the quality and outcome of patient care through structured review,
whereby medical radiological practices,
procedures and results are examined against agreed standards for good medical radiological procedures,
with modification of practices,
where appropriate,
and the application of new standards if necessary.”1
Clinical audit is a cycle,
in which an area for study is identified and a target or standard is set.
Current...
Conclusion and recommendations
In addition to being a useful tool in continually improving clinical practice,
clinical audit is now a requirement under the Basic Safety Standards Directive (2013/59/Euratom). Esperanto is designed to aid radiology departments across Europe in both complying with the requirements of the BSSD and the ongoing development of top quality clinical care.
The updated version of Esperanto can be found at:
https://www.myesr.org/media/3805
The authors would like to thank the ESR Office for their help in providing images.
References
1.European Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom on basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation and repealing directives 89/618/Euratom,
90/641/Euratom,
96/29/Euratom,
97/43 Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom.
OJ of the EU.
L13;57:1-73(2014).
2.
Esperanto: ESR Guide to Clinical Audit in Radiology and the ESR Clinical Audit Tool.
European Society of Radiology,
2019.
3.
European Commission Guidelines on Clinical Audit For Medical Radiological Practice (Diagnostic Radiology,
Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy).
Radiation Protection Directive No.
159; 2010.ISSN 1681-6803.
4.
Clinical Audit – A Manual for...