In May of this year the President's Cancer Panel Report was reviewed in this blog. As we left off, there were discussions about calibrating machines, reducing radiation dose to the least needed to be effective, and advice on tracking radiation both personally and through electronic medical records. The last post that was specific to these issues can be found here. However, many posts regarding the dangers associated with overuse of medical imaging can be found by putting the word "radiation" in the search engine to the right of this post on the main Your Health Educator blogsite.
Today I am happy to report that the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) recently met and is working with the American College of Radiology, among others, to address this issue. Within the last week, a new campaign was launched that encourages the least amount of radiation possible for the desired test image. Over 700 centers or providers have signed on. You can visit the Image Wisely website. Perhaps in the near future, there will be some type of certification process for providers who calibrate their machines and use low dose technology. In the meantime, it is YOUR job to ask.
The RSNA conference ended today. Here is a press release from yesterday which discusses the efforts to reduce unnecessary radiation and cancer related to accumulated radiation. The scientists recommend that all persons keep a record of their imaging. This is REALLY important for children and young adults. The effect of radiation on the body will build up over time. It is the same as skin and lung cancer, the dose and the frequency, both affect the risk of cancer, but the cancer doesn't happen right away - it is 20 or 30 years later.
Take Heed. Imaging is necessary and life saving in some situations - but too much is simply too much.
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