SErIES IAEA HumAn HEAltH SErIES IAEA Hum

—Digital image receptors (computed radiography (CR) or direct digital);
—Image displays (film viewing boxes, workstations and display monitors);
—Hard copy devices (printers and film processors);
—Digital scanners and storage systems.
The following principles and criteria for good practice should be applied as
appropriate to all of the above mentioned modalities and equipment.
5.1.1. Infrastructure
A supportive infrastructure is essential to produce the good quality patient
images needed for accurate diagnosis, which are obtained with low radiation dose
in an environment that is safe for patients, radiology personnel and the public.
This infrastructure includes the organizational structure, personnel, management
and documentation.
5.1.1.1. Organizational structure
A medical physicist, with competence in diagnostic radiology, has primary
responsibility for most of the technical aspects within radiology, including
equipment QA, dosimetry and calibration, and, furthermore, the medical
physicist provides specialist expertise with respect to radiation protection of the
patient.
The medical physicist may also be appointed as the facility’s radiation
protection officer 7 (RPO). The RPO has responsibility for radiation protection of
staff and the public, but not for radiation protection of patients. However, in some
institutions, the RPO may be a health physicist and not a medical physicist and,
furthermore, may be external to the radiology facility. If the RPO is not a member
of the radiology facility, a suitably trained staff member should be appointed as
deputy to the RPO and maintain regular, close contact with the RPO. The RPO
should report to a Radiation Safety Committee. This committee should meet
regularly, and be responsible for the radiation safety policy of the institution/
facility, its monitoring and its evaluation. There should be a manual covering all
relevant aspects of radiation protection (see Sections 5.1.1.4 and 3.1.2). A
7
A person technically competent in radiation protection matters relevant for a given
type of practice, who is designated by the registrant or licensee to oversee the application of the
relevant requirements established in international safety standards. Such a person is also
sometimes known as a radiation safety officer.
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