[ RadSafe ] ACR Releases New White Paper on Radiation Dose in Medicine

[ROY HERREN]

http://www.acr.org/s_acr/doc.asp?CID=2540&DID=26120
   
  ACR Releases New White Paper on Radiation Dose in Medicine
   
    Medical imaging has transformed the practice of medicine as imaging studies increasingly replace more invasive, and often more costly, techniques for any number of indications. Medical protocols must keep pace with this advancing technology and its increased use.
  The American College of Radiology (ACR), in an effort to stem the unnecessary growth in radiation dose that Americans receive each year from medical imaging, has proposed a plan to educate all stakeholders in the principles of radiation safety and appropriate utilization of imaging. The ACR’s plan also seeks to standardize radiation dose data to be archived during imaging for benchmarking good practice and to identify (and perhaps offer alternative imaging for) patients who may have received high levels of radiation from frequent imaging exams.
  The ACR White Paper on Radiation Dose in Medicine is a far-reaching and extensive set of recommendations designed to counteract medical and societal trends which have contributed to any increased radiation dosage that Americans may experience as this beneficial technology advances.
  At the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement Annual Meeting, it was reported that, since 1980, the amount of radiation that the U.S. population receives each year from medical imaging, as opposed to natural sources, has increased fivefold.
  Factors such as advancing technology, fear of litigation, increased patient demand, and lack of radiation safety training for nonradiologist providers may be contributing to the significant increase in imaging utilization by nonradiologists and increased orders for imaging exams by referring physicians.
  For years, the ACR has promoted radiation safety among radiologist, nonradiologists, and the public through ACR guidelines and technical standards, accreditation programs, government relations efforts, ACR Appropriateness Criteria® to educate referring physicians on the most appropriate imaging exams for given indications, continuing medical education offerings, and the ACR patient education Web site, www.radiologyinfo.org, a cooperative effort with the Radiological Society of North America.
  The ACR Whitepaper on Radiation Dose in Medicine is the latest guidance from the medical experts who have served as the stewards of this radiologic knowledge and expertise for nearly a century.
  Click here to read the ACR White Paper on Radiation Dose in Medicine online.
  The paper will be published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
  



Roy Herren
       
---------------------------------
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.