Patient radiation exposure and dose tracking: a perspective.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiology
• Radiation Protection

Background:

• Historical focus on radiation protection for workers and populations has shifted to individual patient medical exposures.
• Rising individual patient doses necessitated a method for tracking radiation exposure history.
• The concept of a smart card for patient radiation dose history was proposed to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolution and current status of individual patient radiation exposure tracking.
• To elaborate on the 'why, what, and how' of tracking radiation doses.
• To discuss implementation strategies, achievements, and challenges in radiation protection.

Main Methods:

• Review of global practices and attitudes toward radiation exposure tracking.
• Analysis of elements involved in exposure and dose tracking systems.
• Examination of the role of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and eHealth.

Main Results:

• Individual patient radiation dose tracking has become a reality in many countries over the last seven years.
• Various tracking elements, implementation templates, and utilization of tracked information have been described.
• Achievements and obstacles in the implementation of dose tracking have been identified.

Conclusions:

• Tracking patient radiation dose history is vital for justification and optimization of radiation protection.
• The information facilitates informed decisions by referrers and contributes to managing cumulative doses.
• Further actions and adherence to international standards are necessary for effective implementation.