The American College of Radiology (ACR) in a white paper has proposed a plan to educate healthcare providers in the principles of radiation safety and appropriate utilization of imaging. ACR seeks to standardize radiation dose data to be archived during imaging for benchmarking good practice and to identify (and perhaps offer alternative imaging for) patients who may have received high levels of radiation from frequent imaging exams.

The ACR White Paper on Radiation Dose in Medicine is designed to counteract medical and societal trends which have contributed to any increased radiation dosage that Americans may experience as this beneficial technology advances.

ACR sited information presented at the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement Annual Meeting that shows a significant rise in radiation dose in U.S. residents since 1980 as one impetus behind their recommendations.

Factors such as advancing technology, fear of litigation, increased patient demand, and lack of radiation safety training for nonradiologist providers may be contributing to increased utilization of imaging by nonradiologists and increased orders by referring physicians.

To access the white paper visit: www.acr.org