Background/introduction
Computed tomography (CT)is considered as one of the greatest advancements in medicine.Although, it provides very valuable diagnostic information that considerably affect clinical management of many diseases, the relatively high level of ionizing radiation inherent to the technique, may cause adverse biological effects on human cells. In modern practice, the magnitude of patient exposure is much below the levels for acute deterministic effects -such as acute radiation sickness, to be observed.Late stochastic effects, on the other hand,are inevitable, as they have no dose treshold in individuals....
Description of activity and work performed
Institution
As the largest provider of health services in Turkey, the Ministry of Health is segmented into multiple hospital regions including the Northern Healthcare Region of Istanbul Province (a.k.a.Anatolia North,which consists of 13 hospitals and 6 dental hospitals/centers. In Anatolia North 3 million residents are being served; 11.1 millions outpatient admissions and 250 thousands surgical operations are being performed annually. The annual number of radiologic procedures in Anatolia North are more than 4 milion and roughly represents 1/1.000th of world radiological services.
Umraniye Children’s Hospital...
Conclusion and recommendations
Results shownare promising regarding children’s health. Ourkey success factor was the adoption of a wing to wing approach in dose management encompassing the whole imaging cycle. Standardization of protocols, strict adherence to and uniformity of scanning technique powered by intensive training courses and regular dose meetings,engagement at every level and awareness through data by the use of advanced IT solutions, and strong leadership are among ourestablished standards of good practice.
Personal/organisational information
G. Yıldırım; Istanbul/TR - nothing to disclose H. M. Karakas; Istanbul/TR - nothing to disclose A. N. Kahraman; Istanbul/TR - nothing to disclose
References
1. National Research Council.Health risks from exposure tolow levels of ionizing radiation: BEIR VII phase 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2006.
2.Mettler FA, Bhargavan M, Faulkner K, et al. Radiologic and nuclear medicine studies in the United States and worldwide: frequency, radiation dose, and comparison with other radiation sources-1950-2007. Radiology. 2009;253(2):520- 531.
3.Hendee, WR, Ritenour, ER. Medical Imaging Physics, Fourth Edition, New York, Willey-Liss, 389-402, 2002.
4. IAEA. RER6028 Establishing quality assurance/quality control in X-ray diagnostics, guidelines and criteria for regional centers of...