Quality control in diagnostic radiology at Mayo Clinic

During the past five years in the department of diagnostic radiology at Mayo Clinic, a quantitative quality control program has been developed and expanded. Its goal is to assure consistent image quality while minimizing exposure to radiation and reducing costs wherever possible. The key to the program is the collection of quantitative data, ie, each parameter is evaluated by an objective, not a subjective, measure which is accurate and repeatable even if the measurement is made by various persons. Operating levels and control limits have been established for all measurements, with the control limits set so changes are quantitatively noted before changes occur in the images presented to the diagnostic radiologists.