title: [Automated procedures for radiation protection and quality controls in conventional diagnostic radiology].
abstract: To comply with regulations on radiation protection and quality controls is a difficult task when operating in large hospitals. This leads to the need of defining more efficient protocols and of making procedures as automated as possible. The procedure described in this paper is based on a multimeter controlled by a portable PC, and on a spreadsheet program for data processing. Multimeter data are automatically imported and processed, in order to assess the compliance of measured parameters with the reference regulations (IEC recommendations, radiation safety rules, etc.). The spreadsheet is permanently linked to a data base. It is therefore possible to perform the controls and to store the corresponding results in a shorter time (one hour per machine, approximately). By using a properly chosen quality index, monitoring the efficiency of the diagnostic equipment is also possible, which allows to prevent the onset of severe failures.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Fisica Sanitaria, Azienda Locale n. 6, Livorno. a.tofani@usl6.toscana.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tofani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bechini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Corona
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Imbordino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lecci
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Manetti
mesh_terms: D003201:Computers; D011786:Quality Control; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011871:Radiology