Nearly 700 health care providers have signed a pledge to use as little radiation as possible in medical procedures as part of a new campaign to stop the overuse of medical radiation on patients.
Experts at the Radiology Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago said last week that they hope their “Image Wisely” campaign will lead to more review of protocols, more accreditation of imaging facilities and more widely shared standards on proper radiation doses, the Associated Press reports.
In recent decades, the average American’s total radiation exposure has increased because the use of imaging tests has increased, particularly CT scans, raising concern about cancer risks.
Experts say there are many reasons for the rise in imaging tests, including financial incentives. Insurers pay doctors with fees for each procedure, and some doctors order tests on equipment they own, increasing the incentive.
Physicians may also prescribe more tests to protect themselves from malpractice suits, or if they are unaware of the best way to examine a patient–for example, a radiation-free ultrasound can be a better test to evaluate a gall bladder than a CT scan.
Patients may also request tests they don’t need, and technicians sometimes boost radiation doses to get clearer images.
The American College of Radiology, a professional society, is working to develop a nationwide registry that will keep track of CT scan doses and warn institutions that are giving too much radiation. Hospitals and imaging facilities will be able to join in 2011.
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