Radiation Dose Risk and Diagnostic Benefit in Imaging Investigations

TL;DR

This paper discusses the risks and benefits of medical imaging, highlighting the lack of dose monitoring, the impact of technology improvements, and proposing a system for tracking radiation doses using smart cards.

Contribution

It introduces an integrated system utilizing smart cards and PKI for monitoring and managing patient radiation doses in medical imaging.

Findings

Technological advancements reduce individual radiation doses.

Despite lower doses, total collective dose increases due to more investigations.

Proposed system enables effective radiation dose tracking and safety management.

Abstract

The paper presents many facets of medical imaging investigations radiological risks. The total volume of prescribed medical investigations proves a serious lack in monitoring and tracking of the cumulative radiation doses in many health services. Modern radiological investigations equipment is continuously reducing the total dose of radiation due to improved technologies, so a decrease in per caput dose can be noticed, but the increasing number of investigations has determined a net increase of the annual collective dose. High doses of radiation are cumulated from Computed Tomography investigations. An integrated system for radiation safety of the patients investigated by radiological imaging methods, based on smart cards and Public Key Infrastructure allow radiation absorbed dose data storage.