Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2019
Keywords:
Action 1 - Guidelines, implementation policies, and Clinical Decision Support (ESR iGuide), Professional issues, Conventional radiography, Safety, Radiation safety, Education and training
Authors:
C. Poleschuk, J. Castelli, D. Koff
DOI:
10.26044/esi2019/ESI-0028
Background/introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every year,
hundreds of millions of people in a healthcare setting benefit from the variety of imaging modalities and processes used for diagnostic,
interventional,
and therapeutic purposes [1].
As such,
medical imaging has become an extremely valuable tool across all fields of medicine.
However,
the long-term negative health outcomes of ionizing radiation exposure are not well understood.
There are many globally recognized strategies implemented to mitigate the potential risks of radiation exposure to patients undergoing medical imaging.
Specifically,
the International Commission of Radiation Protection outlines two key principles: justification and optimization [2].
Justification,
where the potential benefit of undergoing the medical imaging procedure must exceed the understood harm,
is encouraged through the global Choosing Wisely campaign [2].
Additionally,
optimization aims to balance the diagnostic value of the medical imaging procedure without compromising patient health outcomes,
mainly through the As Low As Reasonably Achievable principle [3].
As a result of the increased demand for medical services that utilize ionizing radiation,
patient safety regarding radiation protection has emerged as a global priority.
in 2012,
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a conference co-sponsored by the WHO to address issues in medical radiation protection,
resulting in the development of the Bonn Call-for-Action.
These recommendations have guided the coordination and subsequent implementation of various global patient radiation safety initiatives throughout Europe,
North America,
South America,
Africa,
Asia,
and the Middle East.