title: Image Gently: progress and challenges in CT education and advocacy.
abstract: Significant progress has been made in radiation protection for children during the last 10 years. This includes increased awareness of the need for radiation protection for pediatric patients with international partnerships through the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging. This paper identifies five areas of significant progress in radiation safety for children: the growth of the Alliance; the development of an adult radiation protection campaign Image Wisely™; increased collaboration with government agencies, societies and the vendor community; the development of national guidelines in pediatric nuclear medicine, and the development of a size-based patient dose correction factor by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Task Group 204. However, many challenges remain. These include the need for continued education and change of practice at adult-focused hospitals where many pediatric CT exams are performed; the need for increased emphasis on appropriateness of pediatric imaging and outcomes research to validate the performance of CT studies, and the advancement of the work of the first pediatric national dose registry to determine the "state of the practice" with the final goal of establishing ranges of optimal CT technique for specific scan indications when imaging children with CT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., MLC 5031, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039, USA. Marilyn.Goske@cchmc.org
authors.forename: Marilyn J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goske
authors.forename: Kimberly E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Applegate
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bulas
authors.forename: Priscilla F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Callahan
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Coley
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Don
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Frush
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernanz-Schulman
authors.forename: Sue C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kaste
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Manrita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sidhu
authors.forename: Keith J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: S Ted
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Treves
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D061214:Patient Safety; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D011871:Radiology / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends