The United States accounts for half of the advanced procedures that use radiation in the world. But the CT scans and chest X-rays that have proven convenient and popular among doctors looking for quick answers to provide patients and their families have also led to a six-fold increase Americans' exposure to dangerous radiation over the last 20 years.
Amid recent attention to the previously unseen risks of cumulative doses of radiation on individuals as well, as errors in adjusting machine for a patient's age and size, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to address the problem, including possibly requiring devicemakers to print the radiation dose on each image and getting doctors to set standard doses for common procedures, reports the Associated Press.
Individual healthcare providers also are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of too much radiation, particularly for younger and female patients, and have implemented their own process changes. For example, the diagnostic imaging team at Yampa Valley Medical in Colorado uses a technique called ALARA, which means a radiation dosage "as low as reasonably achievable."
This means that when a physician orders a CT scan, the order is reviewed by a radiologist before the radiographer sets the imaging equipment based on the patient's body weight so that the correct dosage of radiation will be used, explains an article in Steamboat Today. In addition, YVMC has a physicist calibrate its radiology equipment annually to ensure it is within the manufacturer's specifications and national standards.
The most overused tests, according to the International Commission on Radiological Protection, include routine chest X-rays when people are admitted to a hospital or before surgery; imaging tests on car crash victims who don't show signs of head or abdominal injuries; and lower-back X-rays in older people with degenerative, but stable, spine conditions.
To learn more:
- read this Associated Press article on Yahoo! News
- see this piece in Steamboat Today