title: Low-dose ionising radiation from medical imaging in patients hospitalised in Internal Medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical imaging is responsible for increasing exposure to low-dose ionising radiation in the general population. The extent of exposure in specific patient populations remains to be determined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine the level of exposure in patients hospitalised in General Internal Medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective cohort study, we searched the Centre Informatisé de Recherche Évaluative en Services et Soins de Santé database for adult patients hospitalised in General Internal Medicine from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008. We collected data on demographics, co-morbidities, and radiological and nuclear imaging. We used data from the literature to calculate an estimated annual effective dose for each patient and searched for factors associated with higher exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand one hundred eighty-seven (1187) patients were hospitalised at least once during the study period. The median age was 69 years (interquartile range 56-81) and 636 (53.6%) were men. The median annual effective dose of the whole cohort was 8.7 mSv/year. Patients aged between 55 and 80 years were exposed to a higher median effective dose compared with their younger and older counterparts (P < 0.001). Patients with cardiac, pulmonary, peripheral arterial and neoplastic disease were at higher risk of exposure to high and very high annual effective dose (P < 0.01). Patients with longer hospitalisations were at higher risk of exposure to high and very high annual effective dose (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients hospitalised on a General Internal Medicine ward are exposed to three times more ionising radiation than the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Internal Medicine Division, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS), Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martineau-Beaulieu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lanthier
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000379:methods; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D012189:Retrospective Studies