ISRRT_August_2006

Report
2. Radiation protection aspects in cardiac computed tomography.
3. Safety report on release of patients after radionuclide
therapy.
4. Strategies for patient dose reduction in diagnostic radiology
and their financial implications.
5. Draft recommendations on interconnectivity, display
and recording of dose related information for digital radiological
equipment.
6. The Acquisition and Use of Second-Hand Equipment in
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiology Departments of
Developing Countries.
7. Training CD on Radiation Protection in Cardiology.
8. Training CD on Accident Prevention in Radiotherapy.
9. Training CD on Radiation Protection in Digital Radiology.
10. Training CD on Radiation Protection in Computed Tomography.
Most of these documents are at the advanced stage. Since
the time available was not sufficient, the Scientific Secretary
should obtain comments from related professional societies
and international organisations and finalise the documents.
Conclusion
Medical radiation is, by far, the largest man-made source
of radiation. It is an order of magnitude greater than nuclear
power, research and accidents combined. Billions of
medical radiation procedures are conducted each year. The
risks range from trivial to serious depending upon the specific
procedure. In spite of this, the benefits substantially
outweigh the risks.
Medical uses and doses continue to grow rapidly as a result
of expansion to developing countries, new technologies
and expanded use of existing technologies. These factors
have created new challenges that must be met to assure that
patients are adequately and appropriately protected.
Many actions and issues have been listed in this report
without identifying the actual implementation responsibility.
The Secretariat should contact participating organizations
wherever necessary to decide and allocate the responsibility.
Future Meetings and Conference
The Steering Panel did not schedule a future meeting.
The Malaga 2001 international conference provided
the basis for development of the initial International Action
Plan for the Radiological Protection of Patients. The
Panel discussed the potential need for a future international
conference and concluded that, due to rapid expansion of
medical uses around the world as well as extensive changes
in technology, an international conference is necessary. This
would preferably occur in 2009 or earlier. Such a conference
would not only identify the changes that have significant
impact on the radiation protection of patients but would also
be useful to provide feedback on current issues to countries
around the world.
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