IAEA calls for enhanced radiation protection of patients
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in collaboration with other international organizations, is developing a series of measures aimed at strengthening patient radiation dose protection. The focus of recent efforts is a Smart Card project, to log how much radiation a person receives in the course of a lifetime.
"The medical application of ionizing radiation is the fastest growing source of radiation exposure to human beings," said Renate Czarwinski, head of the IAEA's radiation safety and monitoring section. "We acknowledge the great value of the new technologies, but want to ensure that each and every examination is justified."
According to the latest estimates of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), as many as four billion diagnostic x-ray exams are carried out globally each year, representing an increase of more than 17 percent over the last ten years in the collective dose to the world's population.
In particular, the use of CT scanning has grown dramatically in recent years. The x-ray based procedure provides the capability for 3D views of, for example, organs or blood vessels and represents advances, representing a growing tendency for more CT exams to be performed. However, published reports in medical literature, for example the November 2007 New England Journal of Medicine, suggested that up to 50 percent of all scans done today are questionable on the grounds of medical justification.
The IAEA is an international player in the field of patient radiation protection, including a unit for the Radiological Protection of Patients (RPoP), established in 2001.
"Our objective is that the radiation protection of patients is given increased attention by health professionals, manufacturers, trainers and policy makers," said IAEA Radiation Safety Specialist Madan Rehani.
Currently, radiation safety experts are working with manufacturers and IT specialists to develop a Smart Card designed to register how much radiation a person receives in the course of a lifetime. The development of x-ray machines that provide the radiation dose delivered in different exams, as well as advances in EMR systems, should eventually allow for this data to be included in medical records and on the electronic health cards already carried by people in many of the world's developed countries.
A meeting to launch the radiation Smart Card scheme was held in Vienna this week, during which time much of the framework for the project was decided and initiated.
The IAEA's activities in radiation protection of patients include:
Among the development and implementation of these activities, the organization emphasized the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS). The BSS are currently being revised to accommodate recent advances in technology, and in particular the role of medical experts, professional bodies, industry and regulatory authorities, the agency said.
"The medical application of ionizing radiation is the fastest growing source of radiation exposure to human beings," said Renate Czarwinski, head of the IAEA's radiation safety and monitoring section. "We acknowledge the great value of the new technologies, but want to ensure that each and every examination is justified."
According to the latest estimates of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), as many as four billion diagnostic x-ray exams are carried out globally each year, representing an increase of more than 17 percent over the last ten years in the collective dose to the world's population.
In particular, the use of CT scanning has grown dramatically in recent years. The x-ray based procedure provides the capability for 3D views of, for example, organs or blood vessels and represents advances, representing a growing tendency for more CT exams to be performed. However, published reports in medical literature, for example the November 2007 New England Journal of Medicine, suggested that up to 50 percent of all scans done today are questionable on the grounds of medical justification.
The IAEA is an international player in the field of patient radiation protection, including a unit for the Radiological Protection of Patients (RPoP), established in 2001.
"Our objective is that the radiation protection of patients is given increased attention by health professionals, manufacturers, trainers and policy makers," said IAEA Radiation Safety Specialist Madan Rehani.
Currently, radiation safety experts are working with manufacturers and IT specialists to develop a Smart Card designed to register how much radiation a person receives in the course of a lifetime. The development of x-ray machines that provide the radiation dose delivered in different exams, as well as advances in EMR systems, should eventually allow for this data to be included in medical records and on the electronic health cards already carried by people in many of the world's developed countries.
A meeting to launch the radiation Smart Card scheme was held in Vienna this week, during which time much of the framework for the project was decided and initiated.
The IAEA's activities in radiation protection of patients include:
- Training, knowledge sharing and capacity building in the medical use of radiation. Up-to-date training material for health professionals is available on the RPoP website.
- An International Action Plan on the Radiological Protection of Patients that has been established together with international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNSCEAR, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and others.
- Coordinating and managing technical cooperation projects with Member States on patient dose assessment.
Among the development and implementation of these activities, the organization emphasized the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS). The BSS are currently being revised to accommodate recent advances in technology, and in particular the role of medical experts, professional bodies, industry and regulatory authorities, the agency said.