Role of the HPA in radiation protection of patients in diagnostic radiology

Work on the radiation protection of patients in diagnostic radiology in the Radiation Protection Division of HPA is concentrated in the Medical Dosimetry Group at Chilton. The Group conducts surveys of diagnostic radiology practice in the UK, compiles a national database of doses received by patients and recommends national reference doses for common x-ray examinations. Practical methods for measuring doses to patients have been developed for use in the above surveys. Some of them are described in the National protocol for patient dose measurements in diagnostic radiology published by NRPB in 1992.

Computer simulations of the passage of diagnostic x-rays through the patient's body (called Monte Carlo calculations) have allowed doses to the radiosensitive organs in the patient to be derived from the practical dose measurements made outside the patient during x-ray examinations. This enables the usually small radiation risks associated with these procedures to be predicted.

The Occupational Services Department at Leeds provides a radiation protection service for staff and patients involved in dental radiography.

• National Patient Dose Database (NPDD)
  Patient dose measurements made by hospital x-ray departments throughout the UK according to the national protocol are sent to the HPA Radiation Protection Division for national collation and analysis, and the database is reviewed every five years.
  Added/updated: 23 November 2009
  
• Recommended national reference doses for complete examinations on adult patients - 2000 review
  Added/updated: 9 September 2008
  
• Recommended national reference doses for complete examinations on paediatric patients - 2000 review
  Added/updated: 10 November 2009
  
• Recommended national reference doses for individual radiographs on adult patients - 2000 review
  Added/updated: 9 September 2008
  
• Monte Carlo calculations of organ doses to patients
  NRPB carried out computer simulations of the passage of diagnostic x-rays through a patient's body (called Monte Carlo calculations) in order to calculate doses to the radiosensitive organs in the patient.
  Added/updated: 22 December 2009
  
• National survey of computed tomography (CT) 2002-2003
  Computed tomography (CT) remains a particular challenge in the radiation protection of patients, due to amazing advances in the technology and the explosive growth of clinical applications over recent years.
  Added/updated: 2 October 2009
  
• National reference doses
  The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations enacted in 2000 (IR(ME)R 2000), require all British hospitals to implement 'diagnostic reference levels' (DRLs).
  Added/updated: 3 December 2009