The Image Gently campaign has launched a new Back to Basics initiative that includes online teaching materials, checklists, and practice quality improvement projects to help providers strengthen radiation protection when performing x-ray examinations on children -- particularly with the shift from film-based to digital x-ray imaging.
The campaign emphasizes the need for a standardized approach by measuring patient body size and developing technique charts.
"Digital radiology has brought many improvements to imaging," said Susan D. John, MD, FACR, co-chair of the Back to Basics campaign committee, in a press release. "However, some of the technical factors and processes used for digital imaging differ from those used in screen-film radiology. If not accounted for, these differences could result in patients receiving a higher radiation dose than otherwise necessary."
Children are more sensitive to radiation received from imaging scans than adults, and cumulative radiation exposure to their smaller, developing bodies could, over time, have adverse effects, she added.
When taking an x-ray is determined to be necessary, imaging providers are urged to do the following:
- Measure patient thickness for "child-size" technique.
- Avoid using grids for body parts less than 10- to 12-cm thick.
- X-ray only the indicated area with proper collimation and shielding.
- Check exposure indicators and image quality.
The Image Gently campaign is conducted by the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging and was founded by the Society for Pediatric Radiology, the American College of Radiology, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Today, it encompasses 71 medical organizations -- including the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology -- serving more than 500,000 healthcare providers worldwide.
