title: Canadian Association of Radiologists Radiation Protection Working Group: Automated Patient-Specific Dose Registries—What Are They and What Are They Good for?
abstract: Medical radiation should be used appropriately and with a dose as low as reasonably achievable. Dose monitoring technologies have been developed that automatically accumulate patient dose indicators, providing effective dose estimates and patient-specific dose histories. Deleterious radiation related events have prompted increased public interest in the safe use of medical radiation. Some view individualized patient dose histories as a tool to help manage the patient dose. However, it is imperative that dose monitoring technologies be evaluated on the outcomes of dose reduction and effective patient management. Patient dose management needs to be consistent with the widely accepted linear no-threshold model of stochastic radiation effects. This essay reviews the attributes and limitations of dose monitoring technologies to provoke discussion regarding resource allocation in the current fiscally constrained health care system.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Services, Interior Health, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Mathematics, Statistics, Physics & Computer Science, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: thor.bjarnason@coolth.ca.
authors.forename: Thorarin A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bjarnason
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Integrated Medical Imaging, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Yogesh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Thakur
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Santanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: KMH HealthCare Centres, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: O'Malley
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coulden
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noga
authors.affiliation: Medical Imaging Department, Ridge Meadows Hospital, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Integrated Medical Imaging, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mayo
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006801:Humans; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000592:standards*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012042:Registries; D012955:Societies, Medical
keywords: Cumulative dose; Diagnostic reference levels; Dose history; Patient-specific dose history