title: How often are x-rays used as diagnostic tool by healthcare providers in the Mazovian province of Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Within the medical facilities provided by state healthcare services, a universally applied technique for patient diagnosis and treatment relies on ionising radiation; for example in radiotherapy and X-ray (ie. examination). Human exposure to such radiation is not however entirely free of associated health risks.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine and estimate the numbers and types of X-ray based medical procedures that are performed in general and dental radiography, mammography and computer tomography on patients from the Mazovian province in Poland, which included children, women and men subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The numbers of patient subjects undergoing X-rays was estimated by surveying the patient intake in X-ray testing rooms within the healthcare facilities of the Mazovian province. Questionnaires were either dispatched by mail to such healthcare centres or were completed by the X-ray operating staff during the testing of quality control. Results so obtained from the latter, were compared to entries from the X-ray rooms' register
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 2009, the number of X-rays performed were 7612046 equivalent to 1460 examinations per 1000 inhabitants. The majority were done on women ie. 3847961 (50.55%), followed by 3193781 (41.96%) on men and 570 304 (7.49%) for children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicated that the predominating medical procedure used of this type, was for making general diagnoses; especially through using chest radiography. Others included, in descending order; dental X-ray (mainly intra-oral examination), computer tomography (mainly CT head examinations) and mammography procedures. It was also found that the annual numbers of having X-rays has increased compared to previous years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Hygiene and Radiobiology, National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw, Poland. mbekas@pzh.gov.pl
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bekas
authors.forename: Antoni K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gajewski
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pachocki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011859:Radiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data