MEDICAL PHYSICS INTERNATIONAL Journal, vol.1, No.1, 2013scientific papers. The 20113 July issue preparation hasalready started with a significant contribution from Africafocusing on “<strong>Medical</strong> Physics and the Challenges inAfrica”. The editorial board strongly encourages reportsfrom member organizations on educational , pr<strong>of</strong>essional orscientific issues with special emphasis in developingcountries..editorial board believes that they would facilitate to theimproved communication between IOMP and its members.CONCLUSIONSQuoting the mission <strong>of</strong> IOMP”: “advance <strong>medical</strong><strong>physics</strong> practice worldwide by disseminating scientific andtechnical information, fostering the educational andpr<strong>of</strong>essional development <strong>of</strong> <strong>medical</strong> physicists, andpromoting the highest quality <strong>medical</strong> services for patients”,the eMPW team will work so that the eMPW becomes theIOMP tool for accomplishing this mission.ACKNOWLEDGMENTThe authors <strong>of</strong> this paper (the editorial board) would liketo acknowledge the valuable help <strong>of</strong> Dr Ishmael Parsai wh<strong>of</strong>acilitated enormously the process for smoothly moving tothe new renovated version <strong>of</strong> the eMPW.REFERENCESFigure 1. The front page <strong>of</strong> the new eMPW.1. www.iomp.org2. http://www.iomp.org/?q=content/e-<strong>medical</strong>-<strong>physics</strong>-world3. http://www.icmp2013.org/4. http://www.iomp.org/?q=content/<strong>international</strong>-day-<strong>medical</strong>-<strong>physics</strong>Corresponding author:Author: Virginia TsapakiInstitute: Konstantopoulio General hospitalStreet: 3-5 Agias Olgas Str., 14569, Nea IoniaCity: AthensCountry: GreeceEmail: virignia@otenet.grFigure 2. The front page <strong>of</strong> the eMPW December issue.Deadlines for submission <strong>of</strong> material relating toscientific, research, educational or pr<strong>of</strong>essional subjects areApril 1 and October 1 for publication <strong>of</strong> July and December,respectively. The feedback <strong>of</strong> readers is always greatlyappreciated. Comments or suggestions can be sent to theeditor for consideration (virginia@otenet.gr), as the36
MEDICAL PHYSICS INTERNATIONAL Journal, vol.1, No.1, 2013EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESRADIATION PROTECTION OF PATIENTS WEBSITE OF THE IAEA AS AMAJOR RESOURCE FOR MEDICAL PHYSICISTSMadan Rehani, PhDInternational Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, AustriaAbstract- The radiation protection <strong>of</strong> patients (RPOP)website <strong>of</strong> the IAEA (http://rpop.iaea.org) has been one <strong>of</strong>the major resource that <strong>medical</strong> <strong>physics</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essionals haveutilized in the last few years. The website was established inSept 2006 and has grown to be at top website <strong>of</strong> the world inthe area <strong>of</strong> <strong>medical</strong> radiation protection. Besidesconventional area <strong>of</strong> practice that <strong>medical</strong> physicists areinvolved in, the website also provides extensive material onradiation protection in use <strong>of</strong> fluoroscopy outside radiologyin gastroenterology, urology, orthopedic surgery, protectionin dentistry, in hybrid imaging, bone mineral densitometryand also material relevant for referring physicians. Thewebsite provides training material as power point slides forfree download and posters on radiation protection influoroscopy and computed tomography. This paperdescribes thinking behind development <strong>of</strong> this website,purpose and orientation, how search optimization wasperformed to enable appearance on first page <strong>of</strong> search (likeGoogle search), performance indicators and resultsachieved.Keywords- Website management, Search optimization,radiation protection, patient protection, <strong>medical</strong> radiationprotection, IAEA RPOP websiteINTRODUCTIONWay back in 2004 during a meeting <strong>of</strong> the SteeringPanel <strong>of</strong> the International Action Plan on RadiologicalProtection <strong>of</strong> Patients (IAPRPOP) <strong>of</strong> the IAEA [1], it wasdeemed appropriate to initiate actions for a websitededicated on this topic. No website in the world at thattime was able to provide information on:1. Radiation doses to patients in diagnosticradiological procedures2. What actions are needed to optimize patientdoses while maintaining image quality or clinical purpose3. Which radiological <strong>medical</strong> procedures areassociated with radiation risks that cannot be ignored,what are risks and how to deal with them4. Specialized training material for variouspr<strong>of</strong>essionalsDuring the planning phase, issues that needed carefulattention were:a) Should the new website be a resource to letpeople know what the organization does or it be ascientific resource to meet needs <strong>of</strong> users?b) Should it have dominant orientation towardsregulators or hospital pr<strong>of</strong>essionals?With these in background, the path we followed is asgiven below:ORIENTATION TO PURPOSEMost websites are directed at letting visitors knowwhat the organization or company does. Whereas it was aunique opportunity to be beneficiary based. Radiationprotection <strong>of</strong> patients neither reflects an organization noris a subject like radiology, <strong>medical</strong> <strong>physics</strong>, radiationoncology… There is a purpose in the name itself. If thereare few billions <strong>of</strong> patients who undergo radiologicalexaminations each year, how the website can make adifference to them. Just by providing information thatconcerns some thousands <strong>of</strong> regulators or <strong>medical</strong>physicists, one cannot achieve safety <strong>of</strong> billions <strong>of</strong>patients. That provided answers to above two questions.There were many issues pertaining to the mandate <strong>of</strong> theIAEA and if the website should provide information onlyfor health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals who have responsibilitiesassigned under the Standards [2] or extend to informationfor patients. Many times the purpose (safety) gets lost astools and how to use tools take over and mask thepurpose. Rules become more important than the purpose37
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