Eur O’Safe: Ireland’s approach to dose reference levels and preparation for EU Directive 2013/59

Congress:

EuroSafe Imaging 2016

Poster Number:

ESI-0032

Type:

EuroSafe Imaging

Keywords:

Action 6 - Education and training in medical radiation protection, Action 3 - Optimisation, diagnostic reference levels, image quality, Action 2 - Clinical audit, Action 6 - Clinical audit tool for imaging, Action 2 - Clinical diagnostic reference levels (DRLs), Action 8 - Radiation protection training and learning material

Authors:

R. Kavanagh, P. Gilligan, M. Lewis, B. Moran, S. Foley, C. O'Connor, O. O’Connor, D. E. Malone, D. Sheppard

DOI:

10.1594/esi2016/ESI-0032

DOI-Link:

https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/esi2016/ESI-0032

Fig. 3: Radiation Protection in Ireland

Fig. 4: Dose from diagnostic medical imaging 2009-2012

Fig. 5: Ireland CT DRLs

Fig. 6: Low-dose CT with iterative reconstruction

Background/Introduction

Ireland held thePresidency of the Council of the European Union from January to July 2013 and during this presidency, it was announced that the text that would ultimately form the European Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom (hereafter referred to as “the Directive”) had been agreed upon by the Council’s Working Party on Atomic Questions [1]. The Directive was unanimously adopted by the Council of the European Union (EU) on 5 December 2013 [2] and each member state of the European Union has until 6th February 2018 to...

Description of activity and work performed

A recent International Atomic Energy Agency Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IAEA-IRRS) mission to assess the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in Ireland,concluded that Ireland benefits from an effective and independent radiation safety regulatory body and made several recommendations to further strengthen Ireland’s regulatory safety framework [3]. These included: - An effective legal framework for the regulation of patient protection should be implemented, and arrangements to inspect and enforce measures to ensure patient protection should be put in place. - The regulatory body responsible...

Conclusion and Recommendations

The drafting of Irish legislation to ensure compliance with the Directive has begun and represents the most important step in ensuring ongoing protection for the citizens of Ireland against the dangers from exposure to ionising radiation. There are many groups in Ireland working together in the area of radiation protection and the recent IAEA recommendations and the EuroSafe Imaging Call for Action provide a framework for these different groups to ensure the maintenance of excellent radiation protection practices in Ireland.

Personal/Organisational information

Richard Kavanagh,Radiology Specialist Registrar (Resident), St.Vincent's University Department, Dublin 4, Ireland. [email protected] Paddy Gilligan, Chief Medical Physicist, Mater Private Hospital, Dublin, Ireland,Co-Chair of the Faculty of Radiologists Radiation Protection Committee, Chair of the Population Dose Sub-Committeeof the National Radiation Safety Committee Mandy Lewis, Physicist Advisor to MERU, HSE, Ireland Bernadette Moran, Radiographic Advisor to MERU, HSE, Ireland Shane Foley, Schoolof Radiography, UCD, Dublin, Ireland Collette O'Connor, Environmental Protection Agency, Dublin, Ireland OJ O'Connor, Consultant Radiologist, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland Dermot Malone, Consultant Radiologist, St...

References

1.Irish EU Presidency concludes negotiations on the Basic Safety Standards Directive for protection against the dangers from exposure to ionising radiation. 2013; Available from: http://eu2013.ie/news/news-items/20130612basicsafetystandardsenvi/. 2. Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down 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).]. Available from: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013L0059. 3.IAEA Mission Says Ireland’s Regulatory Body Effective, Recommends Further Action on Patient Protection. 2015; Available...