In addition to the individual reporting of occupational doses, the conditions under which workers are exposed to radiation are also monitored with workplace records. Sometimes workplace records must be relied upon to estimate individual doses when a particular employee’s occupational radiation dose record is not available. Workplace records are useful in assessing the effectiveness of the radiation safety program at a facility.
For the purpose of radiation safety, healthcare worker classification is divided into two categories – those who directly work with radiation and those who do not directly work with radiation but may be exposed to it. Occupational dose limits apply to workers who directly perform radiation work. Hospital employees who do not directly perform radiation work are treated like members of the general public in terms of restricting exposure.
In this article we talk about bone densitometry radiation dose and the techniques that radiologic technologists can apply to reduce it. The two key principles in patient radiation protection are justification and optimization. Justification implies that any X-ray exposure is justified clinically. It means the examinations that will not affect the patient’s care are avoided. Once an examination is justified, optimization consists of activities that reduce bone densitometry radiation dose. This means delivery of the smallest possible dose to the patient.
Over the past several decades, the use of ionizing radiation in medical imaging has increased dramatically. This has resulted in a substantial increase in the radiation dose humans are exposed to. In 1950, approximately 25 million radiographic and fluoroscopic exams were performed. This number skyrocketed to nearly 300 million by the mid-2000s. In the 1980s, only 15 percent of all artificial radiation exposure was on account of medical imaging; by the mid-2000s, this figure had risen to almost 50 percent.
Radiation dose represents the energy deposited per unit mass of tissue. It is typically measured in Gray (Joules/kg). This deposition of energy may cause damage the tissues, and therefore, patient radiation dose must be measured and monitored. Patients are exposed to some of the largest doses of radiation during fluoroscopically-guided procedures and computed tomography examinations. Radiologic technologists play a key role in limiting this dose, based on the ALARA principle, by using the correct imaging techniques.
All healthcare facilities have a radiology quality assurance program to provide confidence in radiation safety. Quality assurance essentially consists of an organized set of activities and processes that ensure X-ray equipment is functioning properly and providing satisfactory diagnostic information in a timely manner with minimum radiation dose to patients.