title: Estimation of the collective dose in the Portuguese population due to medical procedures in 2010.
abstract: In a wide range of medical fields, technological advancements have led to an increase in the average collective dose in national populations worldwide. Periodic estimations of the average collective population dose due to medical exposure is, therefore of utmost importance, and is now mandatory in countries within the European Union (article 12 of EURATOM directive 97/43). Presented in this work is a report on the estimation of the collective dose in the Portuguese population due to nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures and the Top 20 diagnostic radiology examinations, which represent the 20 exams that contribute the most to the total collective dose in diagnostic radiology and interventional procedures in Europe. This work involved the collaboration of a multidisciplinary taskforce comprising representatives of all major Portuguese stakeholders (universities, research institutions, public and private healthcare providers, administrative services of the National Healthcare System, scientific and professional associations and private service providers). This allowed us to gather a comprehensive amount of data necessary for a robust estimation of the collective effective dose to the Portuguese population. The methodology used for data collection and dose estimation was based on European Commission recommendations, as this work was performed in the framework of the European wide Dose Datamed II project. This is the first study estimating the collective dose for the population in Portugal, considering such a wide national coverage and range of procedures and consisting of important baseline reference data. The taskforce intends to continue developing periodic collective dose estimations in the future. The estimated annual average effective dose for the Portuguese population was of 0.080±0.017 mSv caput(-1) for nuclear medicine exams and of 0.96±0.68 mSv caput(-1) for the Top 20 diagnostic radiology exams.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superior Técnico/Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional 10, Sacavém 2686-953, Portugal. ppteles@itn.pt
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Teles
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carmen de Sousa
authors.forename: Graciano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paulo
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pascoal
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lança
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matela
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janeiro
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carvoeiras
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parafita
authors.forename: Ana Isabel
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simãozinho
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vaz
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D009683:Nuclear Medicine; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011859:Radiography / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D011871:Radiology / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors