EU 4a - Why do we need to know radiation doses in imaging procedures?

Learning Objectives
1. To learn about the objectives of the MEDIRAD project and the expected impact on radiology practice.
2. To appreciate the potential of the automatic patient dose registries to improve epidemiological research.
3. To understand the role of the different dosimetric tools developed and used by MEDIRAD to improve the accuracy of patient dose evaluations.

1. To learn the importance of patient dose reduction in paediatric imaging and the relevance of the European guidelines on diagnostic reference levels.
2. To appreciate the difficulties in collecting and analysing patient dose values in paediatric imaging, but the need to audit these doses.
3. To understand the importance of guidelines to improve the radiation protection in paediatric imaging and the evaluation of population dose in paediatrics.

1. To learn what diagnostic reference levels are and what they are not, and the limitations of DRLs.
2. To appreciate the trade-off between radiation dose and image quality.
3. To understand the need for the establishment of clinical indication-based DRLs.

1. To learn that the new European directive requires estimating, registering, and analysing patient dose values for medical imaging.
2. To appreciate the role of automatic patient dose registries in optimisation, and the impact of new technology in reducing patient doses in medical imaging.
3. To understand the differences between the different dosimetric quantities to optimise the imaging procedures and to estimate population doses.