Keywords:
CT, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Radiation safety, Dosimetric comparison
Authors:
C. Crowley, B. Carey, O. O’Connor; Cork/IE
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-3757
Aims and objectives
The number of CT examinations being performed has grown considerably in recent years.
This in turn has led to an increased awareness of the risks of ionizing radiation exposure and the need for justification of the doses administered.
CT accounts for the greatest proportion of medical exposure to radiation.1,
2 Dose management software provide real-time monitoring of patient dose in CT examinations.3 Dose tracking software is capable of notifying operators of high doses.
These can be issued as a “red alert”.
Many of these alerts may be justified by the nature of the examination,
the patient or disease-related factors.
This software can be used to detect protocol or systematic errors within a CT department.
One of the challenges facing CT providers is the review of these alerts and the triage of true from false or justifiably high radiation exposure.
The main aims of this study were to:
1.
Analyse the rate and causes of red alerts issued by dose tracking software at our institution before and after the implementation of a radiographer feedback tool.
2.
Establish the effects of radiographer dose surveillance on the rate of red alerts relating to CT imaging.