A website (in Spanish) for the OPRIPALC project has been launched: opripalc.org (fig. 1)
Hospitals and questionnaires
Identify the existing basic quality controls for the interventional X-ray systems in the different involved hospitals.
Identify the existing calibration/validation for the dosimetric values reported for patient dosimetry.
Revisit the criteria for the initial classification of interventional procedures for cardiac and non cardiac procedures performed in the different hospitals.
Identify and suggest solutions, for the problems encountered in some hospitals to contribute with patient dose values being reported to the central database to derive Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs).
Data collection
Centralized database at the Tarapaca University in Arica, Chile.
Selection of the most frequent procedures and group them according to their similarities for the initial proposal of DRLs (for both, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures). Fig. 2.
Analysis of the existing experiences in the scientific literature and in the European Guidelines.
Contacts with the radiology industry to facilitate the automatic collection and processing of dosimetric data in the different hospitals.
Consider a pilot study to evaluate image quality and diagnostic information for interventional procedures at the different involved hospitals.
The most recent actions:
10 Countries and 21 hospitals active in sending answers during last year: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Two questionnaires
- To update data on X-ray systems, number of procedures, number of interventionists involved in paediatrics and support of medical physicists and/or technologists.
- Dosimetric data for at least 5 frequent paediatric interventional procedures.
Several teleconferences and a WhatsApp group
Identified problems during the data collection
1) Some of the hospitals declaring their initial interest in the project were not able to confirm their involvement.
2) Lack of details on the initial collection of dosimetric data.
3) Not defined in all the hospitals the most common interventional procedures.
4) Lack of information on the needs of training in radiation protection and in quality control of the X-ray systems and the existing local support for these issues.
5) The restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.